ReBirth: A Hyperdimension Neptunia Story
by Redundantchosen1
Summary: Did Red ask to be teleported to a universe where there are four goddesses at war? Of course not. But sometimes life feels like fucking people over, and that's exactly what it did to Red when it decided to drop him out of the sky, onto a floating island. But hey, you take the good with the bad, right? Rated M for language, violence, and some explicit scenes. Cancelled.
1. First Steps

Re;Birth

Red sighed. He was currently falling, his black scarf and white trench coat billowing in the high speed winds, the plaid hat on his head somehow staying on his head, Red was thankful that his grey clothes under the trench coat weren't loose fitting. Why, you may ask? Simple. He had teleported to a different universe. After a few minutes, he could see the ground. Or rather, a floating landmass. Then figures began to become apparent. Four of them, all female, one had light blue hair, another had white hair, another had green hair, and another had purple hair. They all seemed to have mechanical wings. Two carried swords, one had an axe, the other had a spear. Snapping his fingers, Red teleported to the landmass, a good distance away from the four. They were having a conversation that Red couldn't hear. After a minute or two, they all looked at the one with purple hair. _This can't be good, can it?_ Then they attacked. Red forced himself to stay where he was. Maybe she could handle them…

She was doing a good job of handling all three of them. Red could feel the shockwaves whenever the weapons clashed from where he was. But then she was disarmed. _Damn me and my principles._ The girl with the white hair was about to land a hit, but Red moved, and faster than anyone could react, Red had unsheathed one of his own swords; Dark Redemption, which was pitch black, and jumped, blocking the strike, and taking advantage of everyone's surprise, kicked the girl in the stomach, knocking her back. Red dropped back to the ground. Red smirked as he saw the looks of shock on the girls' faces. _Priceless…_

"Who are you?" The girl who Red kicked in the stomach spoke up first.

"Me? Oh, nobody worth mentioning."

"Hmph. What is your name?"

Red tilted his head to the side a bit, and grinned. "Just call me Red."

"Well then, Red, I strongly advise that you leave. Unless you feel like joining her in death."

"Hm, you know, I highly doubt that you can kill me."

"Why's that?"

"It hardly took any effort to move fast enough to block that attack you were about to land." _Well, that, and the fact that I'm immortal._

Then, the three that were fighting the girl with purple hair surrounded Red. _…What?_

Red spun around, managing to parry all three weapons. _Okay, first rule of this universe; do not piss these girls off._ Red kicked the one with blue hair away. Then he did the same to the one with white hair. The girl with green hair stabs at Red. He blocked the attack. Then she launched a barrage of thrusts. Red dodged most of them, getting nicked a few times. The wounds closed in a few seconds. Red jumped back, gritting his teeth a bit.

Then his instincts told him to turn around, which he did. He barely had enough time to raise his sword to block the axe. The force pushed him to his knee. _Well, this could be a problem._

Red looked over his shoulder and saw a spear flying towards him. _I fucking knew it…_

The spear hit its mark. Blood flowed through Red's wound. He nearly blacked out from the pain alone. Falling to his side, Red could barely make out the three girls that he had underestimated.

"So, what should we do with him?" The one with green hair spoke up.

"I say we dump him off." The girl with light blue hair had voiced her opinion.

 _Geez, what a bitch…_ Red tried to get up, but the pain was so intense that he couldn't move a muscle. _Great._ That was when the girl who had thrown the spear had decided to retrieve it. When she yanked it out, Red wanted to scream, but the pain paralyzed him. But that gave the room that his wound needed to close. It would take a minute or two, but it'd still close.

"Well then, it's decided, one we deal with Neptune, we dump him off."

 _God dammit. Why can't I ever catch a break when I enter a new universe?_ Red couldn't find an answer before the sounds of battle reached his ears. _Dammit you useless puppet! Move!_ Red tried desperately to move, but the wound severely limited him.

By the sounds, Red could tell that the girl who was being ganged up on, Neptune, from what one of the girls said, was already in another tight spot. The wounds was nearly finished closing. Just enough for him to move. Getting to his knees, Red saw that Neptune was in a position that wouldn't allow him to get to her in time. But he would be able to go after her. As soon as Red got to his feet, he began to run. Neptune was sent flying off of the landmass, unconscious. Red jumped after her, much to the surprise of the other girls.

"He's still alive!?"

"Not for long. If we didn't kill him, the fall surely will."

Red was barely to hear their comments. He had to help Neptune. He didn't have any reason to help her, but he still had to. He made a promise to himself and someone close to him. Shaking his head, Red noticed a bright light envelope Neptune. When the light disappeared, she was different. Red's eye twitched. _Great._ Then Red noticed the lack of oxygen. _I hate losing consciousness._ Then Red blacked out.

* * *

"Ugh…" When Red woke up, he saw that he was in an apartment. _Hm. I wonder who would be so generous as to help a complete stranger._ Then, hearing a door open, Red tried to sit up. He found that he could only lift his head. He saw a girl enter.

"Oh, you should try to save your energy, especially when you take a fall like that."

Red laid his head back, and closed his eyes as he sighed. He stayed like that for a few moments, before he asked, "Where am I?"

"You're in my apartment."

"Wait, did you carry me here?"

"Mhm."

"Wow, you must be very strong."

"Oh, it's nothing, we were taught how to carry bodies in nursing school."

Red blinked. "For some reason, that worries me. Anyway, where exactly is your apartment?"

"In Planeptune."

Red opened his eyes and raised a brow. "Um, could you repeat that?"

"Planeptune. The Land of Purple Progress."

Red blinked a couple of times. "Never heard of it."

"What?! How have you never heard of it?!"

Red shrugged, then winced. _Damn, that fall must have been from_ really _high up._

"How about Lastation?" Red shook his head. "Leanbox?" Red just stared at her with puzzled eyes. "…Lowee?"

Red shrugged. "None of those names ring any bells."

"Oh no! You must have amnesia too!"

Red blinked. "Too?"

"Oh, that's right! You only just woke up. Nep-Nep, come on in for a second!" A second girl entered, and Red saw that it was Neptune.

"Ah, Neptune, I was wondering if you fell close to where I was…"

Neptune tilts her head and gave Red a confused look. "Wait, how do you know my name?"

Red sighed. "Neptune… Exactly how much of your life do you remember?"

"Nothing before getting here."

Red sighed again. "Great, and just when I thought I could find some way to be useful…"

"Uh, what exactly do you mean by 'useful'?"

"I would tell you, but I'd rather not have you get a giant headache. First rule on amnesia; don't force them to remember anything. It could actually make it worse."

"Wait, so you knew me before I fell from the sky?"

"Well, very briefly. I didn't even have time to tell you my name." Red sighed again. "It's Red, by the way."

"Huh?"

"My name."

"Oh. Well then, Red, mind coming with us to the place where we were found. It might help me remember something."

Red thought for about four seconds, then shrugged. "Sure, I have nothing better to do."

"Yay!" Neptune and the other girl both cheered.

Then the other girl spoke. "But before we can do that, I need you to take off your clothes."

Red blinked. "Wow, I haven't even gotten your name and we're already at this point. My best time yet…"

"Huh?" The girl looked puzzled for a moment. "Oh! My name's Compa. So, if you could kindly take off your clothes…"

 _Wow, that joke went straight over her head._ "Um, I can't really move by myself. My body won't let me."

"Oh, right, forgot about that." Compa moved to Red, and propped him up with a couple of pillows. Taking off his coat, Compa waved Neptune over to help with his shirt. Once it was off, both of their eyes widened. Red looked down, and saw that that his wounds were leaking quite a bit of blood.

* * *

After Compa had stopped the bleeding and bandaged the wounds, Red felt like he could walk on his own.

Walking away from civilization, the three made their way to the spot that Compa had found them. As they walked through the wilderness, Red couldn't help but feel like something was wrong. Then he saw it. "Uh, Compa, what is that?" Red pointed to a lump of slime with eyes, and a disturbing resemblance to a dog, including the tail, ears, and muzzle.

"Uh oh…" Compa looked at the slime creature, and looked around. Red looked around as well, and saw that there were creatures all over the place.

"Were these things here when you found us?" Red asked more out of concern than curiosity.

Compa shook her head. "But monster spawn rates have been going up lately. That may explain why they're here."

Red glanced at Neptune and sighed. She looked absolutely ecstatic. "Alright! Our first dungeon! I'm sure we'll speed right through it!"

Red raised a brow for a second, then the other brow went up. _Oh, please…not another one of_ them.

Red had a certain… awareness. He traveled through more universes than he could care to count. And every so often, one of those universes would have what he liked to call; a Demolitionist. They had the same awareness that Red had, and abused it. In other words… "Neptune, mind not breaking _that_ wall for a few chapters?"

Neptune tilted her head a bit. "Why?"

"It helps me think." Red sighed as he looked at the creatures. "So, Compa, all we have to do is make our way through them, and we should get to the place where you found us?" Compa nodded, clearly nervous at the possibility of having to fight. "Well, this shouldn't take us long, considering that all I can see are those… dog-goo… things…" Red stared at one of the creatures, and it turned to face him. "…For some reason, I hate having those things in my line of sight."

"Well, with me in the party, there's no way we can possibly lose." Neptune pulled out a wooden katana. Red unsheathed his sword, and Compa got…

"Uh, Compa…is that a giant syringe?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Where did you…get it from?"

"Uh…"

"You know what? I don't want to know. Let's just get going." And with that, the trio of… people… made their way to the crash site.

* * *

Red slashed through another slime-dog creature. _Hm, these things are practically nothing to me, but it seems that Compa and Neptune actually need to put effort in. Oh well, we can't always get what we hope for._ Sheathing his sword, Red could see a large crater. "Compa, is this where you found us?"

Compa nodded while she tried to catch her breath. "You were practically side by side." Compa took a step forward, and slipped on a patch of slime. Red stepped forward and caught her by the shoulders.

"Are you okay?"

Compa nodded. "Thanks."

"Anytime."

"Aw, how touching. You two already look like the generic couple in the party."

Compa blushed. Red sighed. "Neptune, remember what I said?"

"About the wall?"

"Yeah."

"Mhm."

"Good." Red turned and looked at the crater. "For some reason-" Before Red could finish his thought, the ground began to rumble. "Well, this is going to be absolute hell…" Then the ground gave in.


	2. First Boss

Red instinctively grabbed Compa and brought her in close to him, with his back to the ground. _Please let this be a short fall._ A few moments after Red finished that thought, he landed. Red coughed a few times before groaning. "Compa, you okay?"

Compa sat up, straddling Red, and rubbed her head. "I think so. Thanks again."

"Again, anytime." Compa got off of Red, and helped him to his feet. "So, any idea on where we are?" Compa shook her head. Red looked around. "Wait, where's Neptune?"

"Look out below!" Then something fell on top of Red.

Red groaned. "Nevermind…"

"Wow, that was totally unexpected. I guess this story is based off of the remake." _You don't say? I mean, the title is_ 'ReBirth' _for fuck's sake._

"Neptune?" Red sighed.

"Yeah?"

"The wall?" Red had a feeling he was going to be reminding Neptune of that a lot.

"Oh, right. Sorry, it's a force of habit."

"Well, that's nice and all, but could you please get off of my back? I'm kind of on the ground..."

"Oh, sorry." Neptune stood up, and moved to let Red get to his feet. Again. _Why did that happen? Oh, to make this train wreck of a story just a_ little _entertaining._

"It's fine, as long as you're not hurt." Red looked around the cave. "Now that we have everyone here, let's try to find a way out. I honestly cannot stand the way this place feels."

"Yeah, I'm getting bad vibes from this place, too…" Neptune voiced her concerns as well. Then she took a step, and looked at her feet. "Huh? What do we have here? Take a look." Red and Compa looked at the object that Neptune had picked up. "Either of you know what this could be?"

Red looked at the object for a few moments. "Nope."

Compa shook her head. "I've never seen anything like it before…"

Neptune looked at the object intensely. "Oh, I know! It must be-" Before Neptune could finish, a loud growl echoed throughout the cave. "Huh!? Where could that obvious boss noise be coming from!?"

Compa looked behind her. "Uh, you two, there's a monster…"

Red turned around as well, and his eyes widened. "So, what do you two want on your gravestones? I'm thinking of putting 'Why me?' on mine." Red was staring at what would be best described as a spider with an upper humanoid body. And it absolutely towered over the three of them. Red wasn't even sure that if all three of them were to climb on on another, they would even be half as tall as the monster. In one of the hands of the upper body, it held a sword, one that was twice as big as its upper body.

Before Red could unsheathe his sword, the monster had swatted him aside with its sword, nearly cleaving Red into two pieces, and grabbed Compa with its free hand. _Dammit!_ Red hit the cave wall, and fell, unmoving. "Red!" Red managed to lift his head up to look at Neptune, who looked at him with worried eyes.

"Save Compa…" Red was barely able to get those words out before he began to cough up blood. Neptune hesitated for a moment before nodding, and rushing the monster. She attacked with all of her might, but it simply had no effect on the beast. _If only I had enough time…_

Red's vision began to darken, and his hearing was muffled. Although he could somewhat hear Neptune talking. After a minute or two, Red's wound had begun to close. As he was getting up, a bright light nearly blinded him. Looking up, Red saw Neptune. But she was different, she was the same as when Red had landed on the floating island, and she had the same weapon as she did on the floating island. _So, she's still able to go to that form, even without her memory…_

Red got to his feet, and began walking toward the monster, Neptune and Compa still unaware of his recovery from the devastating attack.

"Wow, Nep-Nep, you transformed!"

Red smiled as he stopped just behind Neptune.. "I had a feeling you had a few tricks up your sleeve."

Neptune whirled around, and her eyes widened before she narrowed them. "Looks like I'm not the only one with some tricks."

Red chuckled. "I can't deny that." Red stepped forward so that he was right beside Neptune. "So, you ready to start the show?"

"Whenever you are. And remember, saving Compa is top priority."

Red unsheathed his sword, and pointed it straight at the monster that had nearly bisected him. "Naturally." Then the two rushed towards the monster. Red parried a swat from the blade that had hit him previously. _That won't work twice, asshole!_

Neptune had slashed one of the spider legs, cutting it clean from the body. The monster tried to swing it's sword at Neptune, but before the blade could get out of arms reach, Red grabbed onto the sword, holding it in place. Blood instantly began to flow from his hand. Neptune took the opportunity to slash the arm that was holding Compa. The arm fell, Compa still in its grasp. Red let go of the sword, and jumped into the air, catching Compa before she hit the ground. As he set to work on prying the hand loose enough for her to wiggle her way out, Neptune was blocking the swings, and slashing at the upper body of the spider.

"Red, how did you…?" Compa was staring at Red the entire time he was trying to get the hand that was still holding onto Compa loose.

Red sighed. "Some things are better left unknown. Damn, this hand just won't… To hell with it. Compa, don't move." Red stood up, and, using his sword, cut the thumb from the monster's hand. _Without the thumb, the rest of the fingers are basically useless._

Compa jumped a bit, but other than the fright, she was okay. "T-thanks…"

"Sorry, I just couldn't get those damn fingers off…"

"No, it's fine. You were helping me."

Red sighed, and turned to Neptune, who was still fighting the monster, although it was clear that it was on the edge of death. Neptune parried the sword away, then slashed it's only arm off, and finished by stabbing it through the chest. Once Neptune landed, another bright light flashed for a second, and when it dimmed, Neptune was back to her previous self. "Well, that was a surprising turn of events. Neptune, that was pretty amazing."

"Yeah, you two beat that monster in no time!"

Suddenly, Red heard a voice, one that was female, that didn't belong to Neptune. "Well done, you two. Compa, how are you feeling?"

"I'm okay! And it's all thanks to Nep-Nep and Red!" Red blinked. Then the gears began to turn in Compa's head. "Um, whose voice is that, and where is it coming from?"

Red looked around. "I was about to ask the same question."

Neptune beamed. "It's Ms. Heavenly Voice AKA Histoir… What was it again?"

The voice responded. "Histoire. You were only one letter off…"

"Oh right, Histy-Histy!"

"Just Histy is fine. Now, Compa, Red, it is a pleasure to meet both of you. As I mentioned before, I am Histoire."

Compa smiled. "Is it okay if I call you Histy, too? It's nice you meet…um, hear you, Histy."

Red sighed. "Well, as much as I distrust disembodied voices, I guess it's a pleasure to make your acquaintanceship, Histoire."

"Um, everyone…" Before Histoire could finish, the monster that everyone thought was dead gave out a fearsome roar.

"It's still alive!?"

Red picked both Neptune and Compa up, one in each arm, and began to run. "Well, I think it's time to get out of here!" _I do_ not _want to fuck with a monster that can take a beating like that, and live…_

Soon, Red had ran out of the cave, but he didn't stop. "Um, Red, I think you can put us down now."

"Nope, there is no way that I am giving that thing a chance to get us! I am _not_ stopping until we are safe in Compa's apartment!"

* * *

And so Red ran all the way to Compa's apartment. Once they were inside, Red sat down, and tried to catch his breath. "So, you two okay?"

Neptune and Compa nodded. Compa let out a sigh of relief. "That was close…"

"I can't believe it was still alive after all the damage it took…" Histoire seemed to be as amazed as Red.

"Yeah, well that makes two of us. And I never want to see that thing again. I'm sure that nothing short of blowing it into bits will make sure it doesn't get back up." Red sighed as he began to breath normally.

Neptune pulled out the object she had found in the cave. "Histy, do you have any idea what this thing is?"

"It's a Key Fragment. It's a piece needed to release me from my seal." Histoire answered almost immediately.

"Sealed?" Red raised a brow.

"Yes, can you release me? There is one of those in each Land."

Neptune furrowed her brows. "I could, but I have to fight monsters, right? Isn't it…dangerous?"

"Yes, your life will be in danger." _Well, at least she's honest about it._ "But, if you can help me lift my seal, I can in turn help you get your memory back."

Neptune's eyes widened. "Really!?"

"Really, really. Besides, I need you to get your memory back."

"Well, leave it to me to search far and wide for those fragments!"

Compa spoke up. "I'll help, too. After all, I can't just leave Nep-Nep with her brain loss."

"Memory loss, Compa…but thanks! Are you okay being away from nursing school?"

"Oh, it's been closed because of the monsters, so it's not a problem."

Red sighed. "I guess I'm up for an epic adventure that'll change the world as we know it."

"Wait, you're coming along, too?" Neptune was, for some reason, surprised.

"Well, of course. I honestly have nothing better to do."

"Then it's decided! We're going to find the rest of the Key Fragments and we're going to unseal Histy!"

"Thank you…ve…ry…mu…ch…" Histoire's words were beginning to get a little chopped up.

"What? I'm having trouble hearing you, Histy. Is the static there bad?"

"I…using…Fragment…I…ou…t…of time…" Red could barely understand what Histoire was saying. "Pl…eas…lo…ok…for…Key…Fragm-" Then silence.

Neptune looked worried. "I think I lost contact. I hope Histy is all right."

"Well, at least we know how to get your memory back. Let's go!" Compa seemed to be ever optimistic.

Determination replaced the worry on Neptune's face. "Right! Let's do this!"

"But before we get going, I was thinking of doing some shopping for the trip."

* * *

Red, Compa, and Neptune were now at the entrance of a cave. They had overheard a couple of people talking about it, and decided to check it out. "As much as I don't want to do this, I literally have nothing better to do…" After wandering the cave for a bit, the three of them could barely see anything.

"Nep-Nep? Red? Where are you two? It's so dark. I can't see either of you."

"Oh, come on, Compa. It can't be that bad." Neptune didn't really sound that sure of herself. Suddenly, Red heard Neptune bump into something.

"Nep-Nep? Are you okay?"

"I think something ran into me… Hey, it's dark, so be careful!"

Red's eyes had started to see things in detail, and so he was the first to notice the girl that had bumped into Neptune. "Hey! Watch it, girl!" Then the girl saw Neptune and Compa. "Wait. What are kids like you doing here?"

Neptune seemed to be offended by that. "Me? A kid? Speak for yourself! You're a kid too! Who are you?!"

The girl got up, and dusted herself off. "I'm IF. Let's just say I'm the Wind Walker of Gamindustri." Neptune was silent. "What?"

"You're the Wild Talker of Gamindustri?"

"Wind Walker. I travel the world, making a living working with the Guild. Enough about me, what are you girls doing here?" Apparently IF hadn't noticed Red. Red cleared his throat. "Oh, sorry, didn't notice you there."

"It's fine. And to answer your question, we're here for the Guild as well. My name is Red, and my companions are Neptune and Compa."


	3. Round 2

"Wait, Red I can understand working for the Guild, but you two?"

Neptune looked insulted. "Ah, sure, nice to meet you, too… Well, we can handle ourselves, you know!"

"Really? Even with all the monsters roaming around here?"

"Uh…"

"Don't tell me. You didn't look at the fine print before taking the work."

Compa seemed to realize something. "Nep-Nep, that can't be…" Then, a familiar roar was heard.

Red facepalmed. "You have to be kidding me…"

Neptune was panicking. "What should we do?! It's got to be looking for me!"

IF seemed surprised. "What? You three know that that is?!"

Red sighed. "Yeah, Neptune absolutely mopped the floor with that thing, while I saved the damsel in distress."

"What should I do?! It's got to be looking for revengeance!"

IF seemed a little irked. "Hard to believe, but if you two can fight, Red and I are going to need your help."

"Nep-Nep, we have to beat Mr. Monster for the sake of Planeptune!"

"Alright! Let me go super mode from the start, then!" The bright light engulfed Neptune, and she transformed. "That's better."

IF was in utter shock. "What just happened?! Wait, you're huge! Like, all over!" Red smirked a bit. _Glad to see that I'm not the only one to notice that._

"Surprise! Nep-Nep can change forms! She's really strong like this."

"Well, now do you believe that I beat that monster once before?"

"Are you kidding? It'd be harder not to believe now." The beast that Red and Neptune had defeated before now loomed over them. _Wait, it regrew its arms?! Son of a bitch!_

The beast roared when it saw Neptune. "So, you want to finish this? Well, that makes two of us."

The monster roared. Red unsheathed his sword. "I guess that's our cue to end its insufferable life." Then the four rushed towards the monster.

The monster swung its sword and Red, who blocked. "I guess it just doesn't learn." Then Red grabbed the sword, and ripped it out of the monster's grip. "Well, time to pay the price for that mistake." Red sheathed his own sword, and hefted the sword with both hands. Grinning, Red swung the sword, and dug it into the monster's side. Jumping, Red unsheathed his sword, and ran across the blade to the monster. Just as it was about to swat at Red, Neptune jammed her sword into its shoulder, rendering the arm useless.

The monster roared in pain, and tried to grab Neptune, only to be shot by Compa, the needle of her giant syringe pointing exactly where it was shot. Red dug his sword into the chest of the monster, and began to tug, ripping through the monster. The monster roared in agony, and tried to swat Red away. Red ducked, the monster missing him by mere inches. Then Red ripped the sword out of the monster's torso, and cut the arm off. Then Red jumped, and stabbed his sword in one of the the monster's eyes, effectively hindering its sight. Then Red dropped as the creature tried to take a chunk out of Red with its mouth. _Jeez, it's really using whatever it can to stay alive…_

Then Red stepped to the left, narrowly missing getting crushed by one of the spider legs. Red sighed, then cut the leg in half. _Honestly, it's kinda pathetic._ Then Red stepped backwards, and another spider leg missed him by inches. Red jumped onto the leg, jumped again, and aimed for the monster's head, but noticed something. _Wait, didn't that arm have a wound from Neptune a minute ago… Oh shit._

Red was slammed into the ground by the monster's fist, crushing his lungs. Coughing up blood, Red's vision began to darken, and he was vaguely aware that the monster pulled its sword out of its side, and began to go berserk, the three girls having trouble avoiding its attacks. The monster stepped over Red, who was having trouble breathing. Moving his head, Red could see that the monster had made an overhead swing, and Neptune was on her knees, the weight of the sword baring down on her.

Red saw IF run, and attack the monster, but it didn't seem to have any effect. Compa shot it, but it didn't even react. Red coughed again, blood spilling out of his mouth.

 _Get up... Get the fuck up. Get up already!_ Red tried to get up, but his lungs sent excruciating pain whenever he moved even a muscle. Red growled, even though it felt like hell. "Get the hell up, you pathetic excuse of a man…" Red insulted himself, rolling over to his stomach, which sent another wave of unimaginable pain. Pushing up, Red got to his knees, and looked up in time to see IF and Compa both get swatted aside. Red's eyes snapped open, and he got to his feet, ignoring the pain, and his free hand found its way to his other sword. _I am going to kill that pathetic excuse of a living creature._ Red unsheathed the other sword, which was pure white, named Forsaken Light. Red didn't notice either of his eyes turn pitch black, walking toward the monster. Red glanced at IF and Compa, and noticed the two of them slowly moving, and Red's anger lessened, but only just barely.

Neptune saw Red walking, and gaped, clearly shocked. "Red…?"

Red wasn't in the mood for talking. "Not now." Then his eyes shifted to the monster. "Hey, ugly! If you're going to start something, you better make damn sure that you finish it!" The monster turned, saw Red, roared, and began to charge toward Red. Red grinned, and set his sight to the ground, closing his eyes, readying the swords in his hands. "Into The Nothing…" Red kept his pace steady the entire time the monster charged, and once it swung it's sword, the weapon was sliced into shard-like pieces. Red kept walking, his weapons moving faster than any eye could follow, walking under the beast, each second thousands of pieces of the monster littered the floor. Once the beast was nothing but pieces, Red stopped. "Rule Number One when dealing with me in a fight: _Never_ hurt people I care about, or I'm going to kill without hesitation." Then Red's eyes returned to normal, and he collapsed, multiple slash wounds opening across his body. _Damn, it may be a technique that nobody can defend against, but it nearly kills me in the process, so it's only a 'last resort' move._ A pool of blood began to form around Red, and his vision went dark. _But it's always worth it, the feeling of being able to carve the most detailed statue out of a tooth pick, or cleaving a mountain in two, always._ Red slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

Then he was floating in darkness, only barely making out a lone silhouette.

 _Where the hell am I?_ The silhouette was a _very_ small female sitting on top of an open book.

"Oh, what's this?" Red heard Histoire's voice. Red floated over to the silhouette, stopping once he was in arm's length, he stopped.

 _Histoire? Is that you?_

"Red? That's strange, we're communicating without having to use a Key fragment…" The silhouette, which Red had confirmed to be Histoire, put a hand to her chin in thought.

 _Any ideas on why, or how?_

"Well, it could have something to do with your bloodline." Red's left eye twitched.

… _What did you say?_ Red's voice took on a threatening tone.

"Oh, no! I didn't mean it like that! I-" Histoire shook her head frantically.

 _Not. A god damn. Word. Am I making myself clear? Dammit, you shouldn't even know about that!  
_

"O-of course! I-I won't say anything! I promise! J-just don't-"

Red then realized what he had said, and saw Histoire begin to quiver with fear. Red reached out to her. _Histoire, I-_

Histoire only shrank back, clearly afraid. "P-please don't-"

But before Histoire could say anymore, Red had pulled her close to him, and wrapped his arms around her small body. _Histy, I'm sorry. It's just that, I hate myself. Not only for_ what _I am, but for who I_ was. _I never want to remember the demon inside me that made its way to the surface. I don't ever want it to come back up. If I seem angry, it's directed towards myself, nobody else._

Histoire nodded, still quivering a bit. Red could tell she was still nervous being at arm's length.

 _Histy?_

"Y-yes?"

 _Can you forgive me?_

"I don't know if I can forgive, and I definitely can't forget…"

 _Then, can we keep this just between us?_

"That I can do."

 _Thanks._ Then, the darkness around Red steadily began to grow brighter. _Huh, well Histy, I guess this is all the time we get to talk. One last thing, Histy._

"Hm?"

 _Please don't hate me…_

* * *

Red opened his eyes, and saw a battle between the three girls that he and a woman that was in an outfit that was very much like a witch's, who wielded a spear, although it was much more sinister looking that the weapon of the girl that nearly killed Red on the floating landmass. Red was propped against a rock mound, and his wounds were covered with bandages. Red tried to get up, but the pain from his wounds wouldn't let him. Red coughed a bit, gaining the attention of the four. The woman spoke first. "Well, would you look at that? He isn't dead after all. Well, for the moment, anyway." Then, ignoring Red's companions, the woman began walking over to Red.

 _Dammit, I can't move…_ Red struggled to move, hoping that the resistance his friends provided would be enough for his wounds to heal. Otherwise, he would have to roll his sleeve up a bit for a trick to come out. The woman managed to get past Red's companions long enough to get close to him. "Dammit…"

The woman grinned. "You know, I'm kind of glad I don't feel guilt anymore, or this would kill me on the inside." Then the woman raised her spear, and buried it deep into Red's chest, piercing his heart.

Red opened his mouth, but no words came out, only blood. _Fuck my life…_ The woman yanked her spear out, taking a sizable chunk of Red's flesh with it. Red's vision went dark, and he could barely hear the cries of distress from his friends, or the maniacal laughter coming from the woman.

Red fell to his side, his eyes slowly turning pitch black. His wound was absolute hell, although it wasn't the worst pain he had felt. Red sighed inwardly, since he lacked the proper means to do so on the outside. Closing his eyes, Red began to focus on the wound, and visualized it closing.

Almost immediately after, Red's wound began to sizzle with black smoke coming off in waves. Opening his eyes, Red looked at the bandages that Compa had placed on him. Red took them in his hand, and ripped them off, getting to his knees soon after. _Sorry, Compa, but I'd rather not have those constricting my lungs to the point of them becoming paste._ The wound began to close, the smoke giving off the illusion that his flesh was burning. Red sighed, on the outside, and looked back to the woman that was staring at him in both horror and amazement. Red grinned. "You know, it's going to take a hell of a lot more than that to keep me down." Red shakily go to his feet, and unsheathed Dark Redemption. Using it as a makeshift cane, Red began walking toward the woman. "And I get a little pissy when someone tries to kill me."

"H-how in the world..."

"You might want to focus more on what's happening now rather than what happened two minutes ago." Red stopped to catch his breath. "Besides, do you actually think that I'd answer you on something like that?" Red resumed walking. The woman stepped back. "Hm? Why'd you retreat? If you want to defeat your enemy, you have to get closer." Red grinned, his eyes still pitch black.

"W-what are you? Nothing could survive that, not even a goddess!"

Red stopped again, this time to ponder the question, then he sighed, trying to put the best answer into words. "Many things. I am a monster, a guardian angel, a hero, a criminal, a villain, a vigilante, a warden, and a prisoner. Simply put, I have no idea." Then Red resumed walking again.


	4. To Lastation!

The woman's eyes widened. "What kind of power…" Then the woman seemed to realize something, and grinned. "Power… Yes, I think I'll take that power." Suddenly, a purple haze enveloped Red.

"I don't think so." Red snapped his fingers, and the haze turned into black smoke, and dissipated. Red then jammed his sword into the ground, vaulted over it, and kicked the woman in the stomach, sending her a few meters back. "I don't really feel like playing around with you, so I'll just get this over with." Red then yanked his sword out of the ground, and rushed toward the woman. But, instead of striking at her with his weapon, Red sheathed his sword, and unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks. After Red finished with a kick that sent the woman flying back, he sighed, and looked down at his wounds, which were finishing closing. Then he looked back to the woman, who seemed to have trouble standing. "You know, I'm tired, so, unless you want to die, I'd suggest leaving."

The woman scowled, and coughed. "Fine, you can keep the Key Fragment, but this isn't the last of me. You can count on that." After an intense burst of light, the woman was gone. Then Red fell onto his back.

"Red!" Red tilted his head back, and saw Neptune, IF, and Compa running toward him. Compa got to him first, and, wrapping one of his arms over his shoulder, lifted him up. "How did you do that? One moment, you were dying, and the next, you were giving that lady what for!"

Red chuckled. "Well, I'd honestly rather not say, seeing as how I can barely stand on my own. I don't think that I could tell you girls everything."

IF helped lift Red, and asked a question of her own. "Do you think it was a good idea to let her go like that?"

Red sighed. "Probably not. But I'd rather have something like that come back to bite than just kill without mercy. I feel a little bit more human when I do that." Red looked around the cave. "Hey, exactly who was that anyway?"

Neptune answered that one. "Somebody who seemed to know me. Although she looked a little too…old to be a friend of mine."

Red raised a brow. "She didn't look that old. I mean, the getup didn't exactly help, but she definitely didn't seem too old."

"Oh, I know, we just like insulting her."

"Wow, what a great person you are…" Red sighed again. "So, what exactly did I miss while I was out?"

* * *

"So, let me get this straight. Monsters, come from discs?"

IF shrugged. "I couldn't have imagined it either."

Compa seemed pleased with the discovery. "Yes. But now monsters won't be coming out anymore. If we beat all the other monsters, everything will be back to normal again."

"About the disc…how about we call it the 'Enemy Disc?'"

"Enemy Disc…" Compa tested it out.

"Well, it does sum up its purpose." Red sighed.

"And as long as they're around, we're going to keep getting monsters."

"That's not good…" _Thank you Compa, for stating the obvious…_

"Don't worry. We'll plan against the monsters with what we now know."

"Mmm! Pudding after work really hits the spot! Uh, got any more, Compa?" Red turned his head to Neptune, who was eating pudding. _How long has it been since she was introduced to that stuff? It's like she's an addict._ Everyone was silent. "Hm? What's the matter? Why so serious?"

"Are you kidding…?" IF and Red said at the same time. They glanced at each other, then returned their gaze to Neptune.

"Um, Red, Iffy, Nep-Nep gets tired after she changes, so can you let it go?"

Red and IF sighed. "Well, if you say so, Compa. I'll let it go, this time. But I don't know about Red."

Red shrugged. "I'm still too tired to care."

"Anyway, back on subject. I'm more interested in that lady? Who was she?"

"It looked like she was collecting the Key Fragments." _Again, thanks for stating the obvious…_

"If that's the case, then we better act quick before she gets them." Neptune looked confident as she spoke. _IF, I swear if_ you _state the obvious…_

"Yes. Let's get ready to go right away." Compa actually said something that wasn't obvious.

"Iffy? Wanna come with us to look for the fragments?" Red looked at IF, who seemed to be contemplating her decision, and gave her a pleading look.

"Sure, why not?" Red breathed a sigh of relief.

"Really? Yay!"

"Are you sure, Iffy?" _Compa, do not dissuade the only other person I've met so far who has common sense._

"Not like I have an agenda, so I might as well tag along for the ride." _Hallelujah!_ "I'm not sure that Red can handle you both, either…"

* * *

"So, Planeptower is where exactly?" Red had his arms crossed. Neptune had talked to a…strange girl that was riding atop of…something. Obviously for directions.

"We just go straight down that way, and we'll see a sign."

Red blinked. "Wait, really? Well, that's convenient."

"Well, the story wouldn't progress if we were stuck wandering the first city, would it?"

Red sighed. "Let's just go."

* * *

When the four got to the top of the tower, Neptune began saying something about a battle. Red looked at her for a few moments. "Do either of you have any idea as to what she could possibly be rambling on about?"

IF shook her head. Compa smiled awkwardly. "Well, it's Nep-Nep after all. You'll get used to it."

IF smirked. "If you say so. But still, for losing her memory, Nep sure knows a lot…" Compa laughed awkwardly.

"Red, Iffy, Compa! The view from here is awesome! Oh wait? Are you scared?"

"Nep-Nep, this is a 'sky harbor.' It's where we go to get to other Lands. The Lands aren't connected, so we need to go through here."

"Uh, how do you get across? I know! Jump, right? Like, while saying 'wahoo!'"

IF seemed amused by the idea. "Why not grow a moustache and jump then?" Then she got serious. "…We need to go to the Basilicom. We fill papers there and once we get approval, we can go across freely."

* * *

 _Okay, seriously, I can't tell if the cuts are the author being a lazy sack of shit, or if the game just uses jump-cuts as an excuse to shorten the game time._ Red and the others were in the Basilicom. Red admired the place, as it looked elegant.

"Hello!" Neptune called out happily.

A member of the staff came almost immediately. "Welcome to Planeptune's Basilicom. What brings you here today?"

"Could we get crossing approvals to go to Lastation?" _Hm, I appreciate having another person who gets straight to business._

"All four of you to Lastation, correct?"

"Yessy!" _The ever enthusiastic Compa…_

"Very well then. Please fill out this form and sign right over here."

* * *

 _Oh my fucking god… Please stop using fucking jump-cuts!_

"So, Mr. Red, Ms. Compa, Ms. IF, and Ms. Neptunia, correct?"

"Uh, mister, my name is 'Neptune,' not 'Neptunia.'"

"Oh, my bad. How awful of me, mistaking such a cute loli-girl like you… Let's see now… Neptuune… Neptyu…toon…" _Okay, that first part was a little creepy…_

Neptune deadpanned. "Ah… Is my name really that hard to say…?"

"Oh, no, no! Not at all! I'm just having a bad day, that's all."

IF blinked. "By the way, Compa? Can you say 'Neptune?'"

"Well, I couldn't, so that's why I just say 'Nep-Nep.'"

"Then can you say, 'Planeptune?'"

"'Planeptune?'" _Wait, what the…_ Red stared at Compa, completely dumfounded. _Compa, I don't think I will ever understand how you function..._

"I don't understand why you can't say 'Neptune', when you can say 'Planeptune.'"

The Basilicom staff member spoke up. "Sorry for the wait. You're all ready to go. You should be able to travel between Lastation and Planeptune freely now."

"Thanks."

"Oh, mister? I wanted to ask, but is the goddess around?" Neptune seemed to be interested.

"I think Lady Purple Heart is up in Celestia. She hasn't come down here yet." _So that's what that place is called…_

"I see... I thought maybe the goddess would be around. Shucks."

"Well, I heard that other CPUs have appeared to protect their Lands… I hope Lady Purple Heart is all right…"

"Maybe something happened in the Console War?" _…Are you fucking serious?_

"That can't be. Lady Purple Heart would never lose to the other goddesses."

"Um, hello? What's this about a Console War?" _Please, no…_

"It's a battle that started in eons past for rulership of Gamindustri. It's said that the last CPU standing will become a god to rule Gamindustri."

"So, the CPUs have been fighting for years in Celestia." IF murmured in fascination.

"Not sure what's so great about beating each other up. Why not be friends?"

"True, but with how long they've fought, I guess there's no turning back. Anyway, let's get going. Off to Lastation we go."

"Okay then. Well, see you again, Mr. Nice Guy!"

"Thank you, and you be careful, now." And with that, the four left the Basilicom.

* * *

"Wow, this place is steampunky! Iffy, what was this placed called, again?"

"Lastation, ruled by CPU Black Heart. It's obscured by various industries."

"So, um, does the 'theme' of each land match with that goddess's preference?"

"No. The CPUs are here to protect us. It's us humans that shape the land."

"Aw, that's so realistic. Compa, what're your thoughts of this Land?"

"These factories and chimneys remind me of an industrial revolution. But, I'm not into this kind of thing."

IF shrugged. "It's not for everyone, but I think it's nice. Now, let's go to the Basilicom." _This place reminds me of somewhere, but I can't put my finger on it..._

* * *

"Um, 'scuse me! I came to meet Lady Black Heart, but is she around?" The four had gotten lost thanks to IF's impeccable sense of direction, and had to get directions from a girl was had claimed that she was a newbie-adventurer.

"Who are you kids? This isn't a playground. Scram!" _Jeez, this guy's kind of an asshole._ Red coughed. "Oh. Do these children belong to you, sir?"

Red's left eye twitched. "No. If they did, I'd be a terrible father."

Neptune ignored Red. "Hey! That's no way to treat your guests!"

"We really need to meet the CPU. We're trying to get Nep-Nep's memory back."

"Oh, I know! This must be an event flag where I just have to name myself first. My name is Neptune! This here is Compa, Iffy, and Red!"

"Stop rambling! I don't care who or what you are. Now, get out of here!" _Okay, this guy is just being a piece of shit now…_

IF looked just as irked. "Wow, so much for the civility of the Basilicom… They say the clothes make the man, but I guess the CPU isn't all that great."

"Say what you want. I could care less what Black Heart is being called."

IF was silent. Neptune looked annoyed. "Hey! You've got three cute girls pleading, along with someone who can easily put you in a situation where Compa's nurse training would be _really_ useful. C'mon, let us meet her!"

Red sighed. "Neptune, don't use me as a threat. Especially when I want to make it _actually_ happen."

"Nep, let's go. We're wasting our time here."

"Iffy, are you giving up already?! It's game over the moment you give up!"

"Let's just go."

Red sighed. "Yeah, Neptune. This isn't going to get anywhere." Then, Red turned, and began walking out of the Basilicom.

* * *

"I'm so mad! The Basilicom is one, but Red, Iffy, you guys are another! Why'd we leave?!"

"Didn't you notice? He didn't any respect at all to their CPU."

"Oh…yes, he didn't treat the goddess' name with respect. That's weird…" _Good to see that you're paying attention, Compa._

"What's so weird? Maybe they're like buddy-buddy and talk super casual."

"Well, there's no way people in the Land would call their CPU by name. Do you remember the person at the Planeptune Basilicom? He was weird, but he still respected the CPU by addressing her properly. But here, they're just treating the CPU with scorn. That isn't normal."

"Iffy, you were travelling all over the world, right? Do you know something?"

"Sorry, Compa. I've mostly stayed in Planeptune, so I don't have any info now."

"So much for the 'adventuring' character, eh, Iffy? But, don't worry. We won't kick you out just because you faked your resume! Even if your level is low, we'll be together, even into the sequel!" _Neptune, I am_ this close _to losing it…_

"Kind of ironic this is coming from someone who lost their memory, eh?"

Neptune laughed awkwardly. "Sorry."

"Anyway, back on track. I propose we do some quests how about it?"

"Wait, don't tell me you used our up funds on your own pleasures?!"

"No. We have money. It's not like I sneak out to but pudding like you, Nep."

"Wha-?! Y-y-y-you knew?!"

Red looked at Neptune for three seconds then sighed. "Well, you did make it pretty obvious. Did you actually think that no one would have noticed?"

"Uh, yeah…" Neptune looked dejected that anyone could have possibly found out.

"… Anyway, remember how the Key Fragment was with the disc in Planeptune? Don't you think it could be the same in Lastation too?"

"You're a genius, Iffy! I'm sorry to have thought you were useless earlier!" Red facepalmed. _Nice...just... Nice...  
_

"Um, Nep-Nep, I don't think you needed to bring up that last part…"


	5. So That Happened

"Is that her? The person that wants us to fight monsters?" Compa looked hesitantly at a woman with blue hair, who wore a white scarf, and had a bandage on her left cheek.

"She's kinda small… I was thinking like, a burly man or something."

"She's staring at us… Now she's waving… I think she's the right person."

"I suppose she's come to the same conclusion about us." The woman was walking toward the four.

When she got within earshot, she spoke. "So it's you four? You're gonna take the work I ordered? Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"More than okay. Nice to meet you, I'm IF. This is Compa, that's Neptune, and he's Red."

"Well, I guess you wouldn't have come if you weren't okay. My name's Chian. I run a small factory called Passe. Now, no use standing around here. Follow me."

* * *

"Didn't you say you ran a factory? This place looks more like a cafeteria." _Eh, looks more like a bar to me._

"My parents run the cafeteria. The factory is right next door. You'd rather speak at a cleaner place, right? Take a seat."

"Dibs on the barstool!" Neptune hopped onto one of the barstools before anyone could react. "With this cafeteria, you can order a heck load of parfaits and puddings!"

"That's not gonna create revenue, you know? The factory isn't enough, so we make do with the cafeteria, too."

"Sorry to intrude, but could you tell us the details to the work?"

"Sure. I need you to take care of the monster around the trade route. It used to be safe, but recently, a large monster appeared out of nowhere. With the route unsafe, all trade has halted."

"Bingo. This may be the work we're looking for. We'll take that order."

"Good. With Avenir killing the market, we don't need any more problems."

"Chian? Chian? What's this 'Avenir?'" _Compa, thank you for asking about that for me._

"Wait, you don't know Avenir?"

"Yes. We just arrived in Lastation today, so we don't know this 'Avenir.'"

"Avenir is a major company that's pretty much ruling Lastation. They make everything from goods to weapons, and is controlling the market. People like me can't compete with them, so our products don't sell well. And it's not like they create work. I know a few who closed shop already."

"That's terrible. That goes against antitrust laws!"

"Didn't you talk with the CPU? It's hard to believe she would let this go." IF seemed to be in disbelief.

"Myself and others tried. But Lady Black Heart was away for too long… Avenir placed their goons in the Basilicom. Now they pretty much own it. Such a waste, since Lady Black Heart just returned from Celestia… Avenir won't let us near the Lady at all."

"So Avenir IS bad! Everyone is suffering because of them, right?" _Yes, Neptune, that's usually how things work._

"They're not just 'bad'! They're monsters!"

"I see… So that explains the treatment we got back at the Basilicom."

"So I guess we can't meet the goddess through the Basilicom then, can we?" _I'm not sure if that's rhetorical or not…_

"How about we barge into where the CPU Lady Black Heart lives?" _Because, Neptune, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't take too kindly to that._ "We could get info on the Key fragment, AND help Chian. What a bargain!"

"Okay, Nep-Nep! Let's go on stealth and stand by Lady Black Hearth's room." Red's brain shut down for almost a minute.

…

"Not this time, Nep. If we play this wrong, we'll never meet the Lady. And if that happens, we'll be harming Chian and folks more than they need. Let's take care of Chian's order first. Let's take it in steps, okay?" When Red's brain allowed itself to register what he was hearing, he was relieved to see IF putting that idea to an end before it even began.

Red smiled. "Yeah, Neptune. Let's dig our graves one shovelful at a time, okay?"

* * *

"We're here! So this is where that monster thingy is going to appear? Well, no monster will beat me! I'll just snap my fingers and blow 'em up! Hey-! Iffy-! Compa-! Red-! Hurry, hurry!"

Compa was panting, trying, and failing, to catch up to Neptune. "Nep-Nep, wait… I'm so tired…"

IF sighed. "With Nep this excited, she'll lose her spunk when we need it."

"Who needs a last-gen yellow stamina bar?! I've got infinite stamina!" _…Fuck it. I give up._ "Let's just wipe out the monsters in the area and report back to Chian!"

After a while, the situation seemed to be in the reverse. Neptune was panting. "Iff…y… W…ait… So…tired…"

"You've got to be kidding. I thought you said you had infinite stamina!"

"Well, yeah, but…there's too many slants and slopes here…"

"My tootsies hurt. I can't take a single step more. Iffy, Red, let's take a rest."

Red looked to IF. "Eh, I can stop if they need to."

"I think they can do better." Then IF sighed. "Oh well, let's take a break then."

"Rest… Finally… Ya…y" Compa sat down on a rock that didn't look very comfortable, still panting. For a few moments, Red's mind went to a very filthy place. _Stupid sexy Compa…_ Red's cheeks went to the darkest shade of his name.

IF noticed, and looked at him with suspicion.. "What's with you?"

Red coughed, keeping his gaze away from Compa. "Oh, nothing. Just…thinking…" Red stared off into space for a few moments, a smile on his face. Then he shook his head, cursing under his breath.

IF smirked. "Thinking, huh? What about?"

"Oh, you know… Things…"

"What kind of things?"

"Things that I shouldn't be thinking with all of you present…"

"So… Naughty things?"

Red nodded. "Can we please end this discussion?"

IF grinned. "That depends… who're you thinking of?"

Red sighed. "Are you sure you want to know?"

IF's grin got wider. "Please enlighten me."

Red glanced at Compa, making sure that IF saw the movement. "Really? Her? Wow, and I thought you were scary _before_ I knew your preferences."

Red frowned. "And what exactly is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Are you kidding? What you did back in the cave. I mean, one moment, you couldn't move, and the next, you absolutely obliterated that monster. I still get shivers down my spine when I really think about it."

It just so happened to be the perfect moment for Neptune to suggest snacks. "I've got some pudding. I bet pudding will taste perfect with the wilderness around us!"

"I bet that's not the only thing that would taste perfect…" Before Red could stop, he had murmured that phrase. He was only glad that IF was the only one that had heard it. His eyes widened, and he buried his face in his hands.

"Did you actually just…" Then IF burst out laughing.

"Please… Just forget I said anything." Red looked around, trying to ignore IF's laughter. "Hey… Isn't this the place where the monster that Chian described appears?" Then, a shrill cry pierced the air, and a gigantic bird came into Red's sight.

"Huh?" Neptune looked at the bird. "Um…Red? That monster…"

Red nodded, glad that IF had stopped laughing when she heard the cry. "Yep, it must be the monster Chian mentioned."

Neptune laughed awkwardly. "Red, this is a trick…right?" Neptune looked pleadingly at Red.

Red sighed. "Neptune, we have to get this done. Even if you were going to eat."

"Mr. Monster? Can you wait? We were trying to take a break…" Compa still looked tired.

"And just when I was about to bite into the tasty pudding…" Then a bright light engulfed Neptune, and when it subsided, she was in her HDD form. "You shall pay! Feel the wrath and agony deserving of tainting pudding time!" _Second rule of this universe: Do not get between Neptune and her pudding, or death will await you._

"Nep-Nep's really angry. And it looks worse now that Nep-Nep's changed."

"Looks like anything pudding related can jolt her. Good. She's ready." Red glanced at IF. _Exactly_ how _is that good?_

"Well, pudding doesn't make me ready. I'm still tired…"

"All of you stop slacking off and help me beat the hell out of this monster!"

"So…tired…" Compa began to sob.

Red sighed, "Hey, Compa? When we're done with this thing, how would you like getting a massage?"

IF looked skeptical. "And where did _you_ learn to give a massage?"

"Oh, you'd be surprised at what I can do with my hands." Red smirked. "I could show you, if you want."

IF blushed, and set her sight on the monster. "Let's just get this over with…"

Red grinned. "Get your mind out of the gutter."

* * *

"Whew… That was some fight."

"Really? It was rather quick because of you, Nep-Nep."

"Hey, wouldn't it have been faster if Nep in TRANS-AM mode flew us here?"

"No. There's no way I could carry Red, let alone the three of you. This is quite tiring you know."

"How about being our taxi for one pudding each direction?" Compa bribed Neptune, "This is no ordinary pudding. I'm talking about the super-premium one."

"Ah… Th-that's enticing, but I'll have to pass." _Good to see that you still have self-preservation instincts, Neptune._

"Aw… That's too bad. It would have been so easy if we flew instead."

"Enough on this already. I'm changing back."

"Wait a second, Nep. Don't undo your transformation just yet," IF pointed a a cluster of boulders, "There's someone behind those rocks there."

"Wha-?!"

"I didn't expect you to notice. Well done." Red's eyes widened. _Wait, I know that voice…_

The girl with white hair that Red had briefly met before stepped out from behind the rocks. "It's been a while, Neptune. Of course, you probably don't know me now…" Then her eyes found their way to Red. "But I'm sure you remember me, Red."

Red growled. "I almost wish I didn't."

Neptune glanced at Red. "You two met before?"

Red nodded. "Although it was _very_ brief. I never even got her name."

The girl chuckled a bit. "True, we never got to know each other that well. But I can say otherwise for Neptune."

"Really?! Then tell me, who am I?!"

The girl laughed. "Being asked for help by Neptune! Very well, let me tell you…"

"Really?!"

"That's great, Nep-Nep! We finally met someone who knows you."

"But, it's on one condition." _Why do I have a feeling I know what the condition is?_

"Condition? What's that?"

The girl grinned. "Do you have to ask…? Defeat me in battle!" _I hate being right all the damn time…_

The girl rushed forward, her sword pointed straight at Neptune. Neptune parried the strike sent at her, and slashed at the girl.

The girl jumped back, narrowly avoiding the blade. Red charged at the girl, his sword sheathed. The girl swung her sword over her head, intent on killing him. Red stepped to the side, and the girl embedded her weapon into the ground. Her eyes widened, and Red smirked. Red cocked his arm back, and slammed his fist into the girl's stomach, sending her flying back.

The girl skidded to a stop, her eyes wide. "Hm, it appears that you've gotten stronger since the last time we met."

Red grinned. "Nope, I'm just not underestimating you."

"Hmph, that's what you think." Then the girl was in front of Red.

… _What?_ Then Red felt the sword slash across his chest, blood spraying out. Red stepped back, his eyes wide. Then Red fell to his hands and knees, his breathing heavy. _Fuck, she's fast…_

The girl smirked. "That should keep you there for a bit. But why have you there for a bit, when I can make sure you stay there?" Then, Red felt the tip of her sword press against his chin. Red forced himself off of his hands, his chest still bleeding. The girl smirked. "Sorry about this." Then the girl plunged her sword into Red's chest, forcing him onto his back. "If you can, forgive me." Then the girl yanked her sword out.

Red's vision began to darken again, and he felt something wake up inside of him. _**"The fuck do you think you're doing?"**_

 _Not now, Broken._

 **"** _ **Over my dead body. You know you could kill her in an instant. Why the fuck aren't you doing so?"**_

 _Fuck you, that's why._

" _ **Whatever. Just get the fuck up."**_

Red's wound had begun to close, just enough for him to move. Rolling over to his stomach, Red began to shakily get to his knees. Looking up, Red saw that Neptune and the others were having trouble keeping the girl at bay.

 _Alright, this is getting annoying._ Red got to his feet, his chest sending agonizing jolts throughout Red's body. Ignoring the pain, Red began walking, his eyes turning pitch black. Red unsheathed both of his swords, and turned his gaze to the ground. Neptune parried a slash from the girl, and, seeing Red, kicked her toward him. "Into The Nothing…" The girl saw Red, and then she was in front of him, swinging her sword. It was immediately parried out of her grasp. The girl looked confused for split-second, then her eyes widened, and hundreds of tiny cuts appearing all along her body. Red walked right past her, and sheathed his swords. "You lose. Now, tell us what you know." Red managed to get those words out before multiple slashes appeared along his body. Red fell to his knees, his eyes returning to normal. Red managed to steal a glance over his shoulder, and saw that the girl was in similar position, facing him.

"Tch! Even if I was outnumbered…me, lose?! What's going on?! Or, is this my power…? No… I won't believe it!"

Neptune walked to the girl. "It's over. Now, tell me what you know."


	6. Well Then

The girl that had lost looked enraged, and she growled. "Don't think you've won everything just by downing me!"

Neptune looked annoyed. "I admit that we did outnumber you. But still, a win is a win."

Red started hearing a ringing in his ears. He looked over his shoulder again, and saw the girl rising. "No… No…! I won't accept this!" Then she turned, and flew off.

"Wait!" Neptune took a step forward, hesitant to give chase.

"What're you waiting for, an invitation?! Go after her, Neptune!" Then Red could no longer stay on just his knees, and fell, catching himself with his arms.

Then a bright flash. _Please don't tell me…_ "Whoa, what?!"

Red sighed. _Great…_ "Nep! What're you doing changing form now?!"

"I'm sorry, Iffy. I used up all my juice already. I'm so tired…" Red coughed, blood splattering onto the ground.

Red struggled to catch his breathe. "Dammit, Neptune, there's no time to be tired. Go! She's our only chance of getting info on you right now!" Red crawled to a nearby boulder, taking ragged breaths. He saw Neptune look torn before she nodded, and took off after the girl.

Compa ran over to Red, who now sat against the boulder, and took off his clothes, tending to his wounds. Red closed his eyes, grit his teeth at the burns, and felt the bandages wrap tightly around him. Then Compa murmured something.

Red raised a brow. "Hm? You say something, Compa?"

Compa looked hesitant, then asked. "Red, why do you let yourself get hurt this badly?"

Red blinked twice. _Shit._ Then Red sighed. "Well, let's just say that I'm a man that deserves it."

Compa looked into Red's eyes, the worry clearly visible in her eyes. "Why?"

Red sighed again. "Trust me when I say that you don't want to know."

IF stared at Red for a few moments before she asked, "Red, exactly _how_ can you do that?"

"Do what?"

"What you did back there, the thing you did against that girl. It was the same thing you did back at the cave."

Red tilted his head back, looking at the clouds in the afternoon sky. "Well, I learned it a long time ago from an old man. He taught me to never use it unless either people I care about are hurt, or I want to finish the fight in that moment." Red sighed as he looked down at the bandages. "The only drawback is that it nearly kills me every time I do it." Red dragged himself up to sit on the boulder.

"Red… What exactly are you?"

Red blinked. "Why do you ask that?" IF deadpanned. Red sighed. "Fine, I'll tell you later, when it's just the two of us."

"H-huh? Why just the two of us?"

Red looked up at the sky again. "Because, so far you're the only one ready for it." Then Red sighed. "We should really go see if Neptune is okay…"

* * *

"Compa-! Where are you, Compa-! Here, Compa, come here!" Red raised a brow at Neptune's call. _Uh, okay…?_

"Did you call, Nep-Nep?"

Then Red noticed the other girl, one with black hair. Her mouth was slightly agape. "You're kidding me…"

Red noticed that the girl was wounded similarly to the way he had wounded the girl with white hair. _Wait, those wounds aren't_ similar, _they're the_ exact _same wounds._ Red panted for breath. _Fuck, that hurts._ "Surprised? I am one of the main characters, after all! I have 108 skill styles, y'know?"

Red would have commented if he wasn't out of breath, luckily IF was already on that. "Stop lying, Nep. We just caught up to you when you were yelling."

"By the way, did you need anything, Nep-Nep?"

"Yeah, she…um, oh, right. I haven't gotten your name yet." Neptune pointed to the people she named. "I'm Neptune, this here is Compa, that's Iffy, and the only guy here is Red."

"It's IF, nice to meet you."

"What's your name?" Neptune looked at the girl happily, probably excited at the idea of getting another friend.

"…re." The girl mumbled, and Red only caught the end.

"What?" Neptune leaned in a little closer.

"Noire." Red's eyes narrowed as he tried to remember where he had heard that name before. Then he realized. The girl who had given them directions to the Basilicom, Falcom, if Red remembered correctly, had called Black Heart 'Lady Noire.'

"Noire? Fancy name." Neptune didn't seem to remember what they had heard from Falcom. "I bet you don't have any friends and stuff." Red's eyes widened as he turned to stare at Neptune.

"Wha-?!" Noire glared at Neptune. "Why, you! Oh, is that the way you greet somebody you meet for the first time?!"

"Oh, lighten up. It's just a joke. I was just trying to be funny."

Red coughed. "Key word in that explanation: Trying." Red sighed.

"Besides, you need to learn the 'when' in being funny, Nep. Compa, will you?"

"All righty! Leave it to me!"

* * *

After Compa had cleaned and bandaged the wounds, she thanked her. "Are you…Neptune's friend?"

"Yes. We've been best friends since I found her and Red speared to the ground!"

"Speaking of…Noire, what were you doing in this dangerous place?" IF raised a brow.

"And, all scratched up." Compa seemed be curious as well. Red sighed. _Sometimes having more years than I can count of experience can be tiring._

"I…" Noire seemed to be thinking of a believable answer.

"Something is fishy here…" IF narrowed her eyes at Noire.

Noire stiffened up. "Um, well…I'm not sure too, and…"

Neptune blinked. "What? Then…you're…a fellow amnesiac?!"

Noire blinked a few times. "Huh?" Then she nodded vigorously. "Oh, oh yes! That's right, amnesia. I can't remember a single thing! It must have happened when I was attacked."

Red and IF stared at Noire, both of them amazed at how terrible Noire's acting was. "Way to make it sound real…"

Red shook his head. "There's no way anyone can buy that. I mean, sure, Neptune _does_ have her moments, but that was a special kind of unconvincing." Red sighed as he reached a hand into his trench coat, and brought out a flask that was covered in complicated designs, which he kept there for various reasons. Red undid the lid, and took a swig, relishing the burn in his throat.

Compa looked at Noire worriedly. "Uh oh… Then how can we get you back home?"

Neptune patted Noire's shoulder. "I know how you feel, Noire. It must be harsh without your memory."

"Wait, we're believing her…?" IF looked at Neptune and Compa in disbelief. Then she looked at Red. Red shook his head, then took a few gulps from his flask. "And since when did you drink?"

Red sighed. "A long time… I'd rather not talk about it…" Red noticed IF staring at the flask. "No. You're not having any."

IF tore her gaze away from the flask. "What made you think I was going to ask?"

"The way you looked at it as if it were the only glass of water in a thousand mile radius." Red redid the lid, and stuffed the flask back into his coat.

Then, Neptune's eyes sparked. "I know! I'll help you! I've been without memory longer than you." Then Red immediately brought the flask back out, undid the lid again, and began to chug.

"I…guess that helps." Noire smiled weakly.

"So, what should we do with Noire? How can we help her get home?" Compa asked the obvious, because someone always does…

"Well…" IF had managed to ignore Red guzzling down the alcohol in the flask long enough to think of an idea. "Why not take her to the Basilicom? They should keep her safe in custody."

"What?!" As Red expected, Noire seemed panicked at the idea.

Red had finished the last drop of the searing liquid as IF proposed the idea. Then he thought of something, and spoke up. "I don't know about that. I mean, I'm sure we all remember how they acted. I don't think they would know how to treat a girl right, if at all."

Neptune seemed elated. "I know! Why not just have her tag along until her memory returns?"

Noire let out a breath that she probably hadn't realized she had been holding in. Then her eyes snapped wide open. "Wha-?! Tag along?! As in, together?!"

"Yeah! After all, we're memory loss buddies, so it'll be great!"

"Yes. It's safer than being at the Basilicom. Besides, it's fun with more friends!" Compa smiled happily.

"Um, ah, it's not that I don't like it, but… Ah, I was just…surprised." Red had to bite his tongue to keep from making a joke that would likely cause him to get his ass kicked by Noire.

"I'll take it you don't mind, then! Again, nice to meet you, Noire!"

Red smiled. He really hoped he wouldn't leave this world too soon. Then he looked at the horizon and saw the sun dip under, leaving the last wisps of light lingering. "So, I have a question." Everyone turned to Red. "Would any of you by any chance be carrying a tent on you? Unless you don't mind walking in the dark, in which case, we should get going."

Compa smiled, clearly elated. "Oh! I have one!" Everyone turned to stare at her. "Huh? What is it?"

Red sighed. "I'm not even going to ask why you have one, or where you kept it, for that matter, but just make sure that it gets set up before it gets dark. I'm gonna see if I can't get a fire started."

* * *

After half an hour, Red had managed to gather enough wood and dried twigs to get a decent fire going. And soon after that, the tent had gotten set up. Red sighed as he sat down by the fire, a tired smile on his face.

"Red, why exactly did you start the fire, while the rest of us had to get the tent up?" IF asked, looking uncomfortable.

Red deadpanned. "Would you rather try to get a fire started with your bare hands?"

IF blinked. "Good point." Then she sighed, "That reminds me…"

Red tilted his head slightly. "What is it?"

"There's only room for three of us." IF gave a shrug as if to apologize.

Red blinked. "Great." Then he sighed, "Well, I'm used to sleeping outside, so it's not a problem for me." Red looked at the four girls, not wanting to single anyone out. "Well, any volunteers?" Silence. "That went about as well as I expected." Red sighed again, trying to think of something. After a few moments of thought, an idea smacked Red upside the head. He snapped his fingers, smirking. "I got it! We'll draw draw sticks."

Neptune tilted her head to the side, clearly confused. "Huh? But we don't have anything to draw with."

Red chuckled. "Not that kind of drawing, Neptune." Red stood up, looked around, and gathered four small twigs that he could easily hold in a single hand. "The way this works is that each of you get a stick. The one with the shortest stick gets the honor of sleeping outside alongside myself." Red held his closed hand out, shaking it lightly. "So, who gets first pick?"

Red's left eye twitched. The girls had argued over what order they would go in. For ten minutes. Red didn't really care about order, so once each girl had a stick, he sat down in front of the fire, waiting to see who he would get as a sleeping partner. _Okay, that sounded weird._

Noire looked at her twig, then the other girls. "You have to be kidding me…" Red raised a brow.

"Well, Noire, looks like a winner has been found. Congratulations." Red smirked.

"I'm pretty sure I lost…"

Red shrugged, "Well that depends on how you look at life. If you're an optimist, you would consider this as a chance to bond with someone you would normally not talk to that much. If you're a pessimist, you'd see this as being forced to sleep outside of the tent, having only the fire to keep you warm." Red shrugged again, "But either way, you're with me, and you really don't have a say in the matter." Red leaned back, looking up at the sky. It had gotten darker, and the stars were beginning to become visible. Red sighed, smiling. _Man, I love the sky at night. It's so…familiar._

IF, Neptune, and Compa opened the flap of the tent, piled inside, and closed it.

Noire sighed, and sat down next to Red, staring into the fire. After a long while, she whispered, "I'm sorry…"

Red raised a brow. "For what? Stabbing me through the chest?" Red smirked as Noire stuttered.

"H-how did you-?!"

Red sighed. "You know, I'm not as dull as Neptune or Compa. I mean, we found you in the direction that we were chasing you down at. And you had the exact same wounds I gave you. _And_ you're a terrible liar. _**And**_ someone back at Lastation called you 'Lady Noire'. So yeah, it was obvious. I'm surprised that Neptune couldn't figure that out…" Red sighed again. "Was she always like that?"

Noire sighed and nodded. "But that's one of her charms."

Red chuckled. "I can't deny that." Then Red thought of something. "Hey, Noire."

"Hm?"

"Exactly… _how_ … would you describe your feelings toward Neptune?"

"Well, it's hard to explain. Sometimes I'm absolutely frustrated with her, and other times I feel so nervous I can hardly get any words out."

Red leaned further back, until he was lying flat. "You know… Love can be both a beautiful and a dangerous thing."

Noire blinked. "Why do you say that?"

Red smiled. "Isn't it obvious?"

Noire frowned, trying to think of what Red could be talking about. Then her eyes widened. "No… It's not like I…"

Red's smile grew into a grin. "Not like you what?"

Noire's eyes widened even further. "No. I can't love her… We're supposed to be enemies!" Noire buried her face in her hands. "But, she's so kind, and caring, and…" Noire groaned. "I love Neptune."

Red closed his eyes, imagining the look on Noire's face if anyone found out about her feelings for the amnesiac. "You know, her losing might be a good thing. For you, anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you're supposed to be enemies, right? Well, if she can't remember that, then you can get close to her, and maybe, if you're lucky and she doesn't misinterpret the signs, you could get her to fall for you."

"But… I can't do that."

Red opened one eye and looked at Noire questioningly. "Why not? I mean, it's not like she'll find out or anything."

"I know, but… It's wrong for me to do something like that."

Red opened his other eye, and smiled. "Glad to hear that. If you had actually taken that advice, I would have made sure you didn't get within a single meter of Neptune. I mean, I can't let a friend get seduced by someone as low as that."

Noire sighed. "Really? Well, you really care for your friends."

Red nodded. "I know what it's like to be _truly_ alone. I can't let anyone else feel like that." Noire sneezed, then shivered. Red sat up, taking off his coat and scarf. "You cold? You can use these if you want, it's not like I actually need them."

Noire looked at the clothing. "Are you sure? Won't you be cold?"

Red smiled and shook his head. "Like I said, I don't really need them. The only reason I wear them was because it pissed my father off."

Noire sighed before taking the coat and scarf. She wrapped the scarf around, then put the coat on her shoulders. "So, if that's why you wear these, why do you wear the hat?"

Red unconsciously touched the brim of the hat, his eyes flashing with pain for a split second. "This is the only thing I have to remember my mother."

Noire looked like she regretted asking. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. What happened?"

Red took the hat off, revealing short dark brown hair, almost black, and looked at the hat, tears blurring his vision. "My monster of a father killed her. Right in front of me, if you'll believe it. Bastard thought she was dragging me down, keeping me from becoming what I could be, or, more accurately, becoming like him. He was right. But he made the mistake of thinking I would be grateful for what he did. I made sure the son of a bitch suffered when I killed him. I still hear their screams. One is a savored memory, the other is a haunting nightmare." The tears flowed down Red's face, light glinting off from the fire. "She gave this to me to hide the terrible haircut my father had given one time. I only take it off to clean it." Red gently placed it back on his head. "So, enough emotional stuff for one night, I'll see you in the morning. Night." Red lied down again, his back to Noire, and closed his eyes, tears still streaming down. Then he felt an arm gently wrap around him, comforting him.

"Good night."


	7. The Day After

**Red looked around, trying to figure out where on earth…or whatever planet he was on was called, he could possibly be. There were trees burning, children crying, and bodies littering his sight. It made him sick, because it was too damn familiar. Red began walking, trying to block out the screams and hollers. There was an occasional crunch under Red's foot, but he didn't look down, in fear of what could make a noise like that. After what seemed like eternity, Red could hear voices. About six in total. One voice belonged to him, and the rest were familiar to him. Red's eyes widened in fear. "Oh god, not another one of these…" Red ran toward the voices, going deeper into what was once a forest.**

 **Upon reaching a 'clearing', Red saw what he feared. There he was, with his current friends, and what would be best described as a shadow Red. It was a silhouette of Red, with glowing white eyes. Red saw himself yell at his shadow double. "You can't win dammit! Just give up!"**

 **The silhouette chuckled. "Oh, really? Can your friends say the same?" The silhouette pointed at the beaten and bloody comrades behind Red.**

' **Red' let out a feral growl, his eyes narrowing. "Shut it! If you so much as lay another finger on them, you will know suffering unlike any other!"**

 **The silhouette chuckled again. "You know that you can't touch a shadow, Red. So, how can you win this fight, not being able to do anything?" The silhouette laughed, the glowing eyes flashing. "But you already know the answer to that question, don't you?" The silhouette snapped his fingers, and two shadow spears formed in his hands.**

' **Red' growled again, bringing both swords to his side, in a protective manner. "I can't beat you, but** _ **he**_ **can." Red's eyes began to slowly turn pitch black.**

 **The silhouette laughed. "We both know you wouldn't let him out. He's way too dangerous. He would kill them all in the process."**

 **Red's eyes narrowed. "Wouldn't I?" Then 'Red' froze for half a second, then a grin formed on his face.**

 **The silhouette looked horrified. "No… He didn't…"**

" **Damn straight. There are only three people he hates more than his father. They are you, me, and his self, in that order. So, let's get started."**

 **Red backed up, wondering how the silhouette had found him. Red sighed, too tired to try to think. "I just want to wake up now…"**

* * *

Red opened his eyes, and felt the sun beating down against his face. Groaning lightly, Red turned over, not wanting to get up. "Five more minutes…" Red murmured, closing his eyes again. Then he remembered the events of his dream. Red's eyes snapped open, and he sat up, looking around. The fire was put out, and the tent was gone. Red got to his feet and stretched, his back and neck popping loudly. While he stretched, Red noticed he wore his coat and scarf. Red smiled.

"About time you woke up." Red turned and saw IF standing a few yards back from him, her arms crossed.

Red smiled sheepishly. "Heh, sorry. What time is it?"

IF dug a hand into her coat, pulled out a phone, and turned it on. "8:59. The others have been up for about an hour."

Red frowned. "Hm. I usually get up much earlier…" _That is, if I get any sleep at all._ Red shook his head, then asked, "So, how long have you been up?"

"Three hours."

"Geez, you really don't seem like a morning person."

IF shrugged. "I get that a lot."

Red sighed. "Well, we've been here more than we should have. Where are the others?"

"Up ahead waiting for us."

"Then let's get going."

* * *

The walk back to Lastation was mostly uneventful, aside from the encounters with some monsters. Walking into the city, at least, to Red it seemed like a city, he couldn't be sure, Neptune exclaimed, "Lastation, I'm home!" Red just shook his head, smiling. He looked around, and sighed. _Well, civilization has more than its fair share of flaws, but still, it's nice to be here every once and a while._

Red as so absorbed in his musings that he didn't notice the conversation going on between Noire and Neptune, until Neptune exclaimed, "W-we're not simulating a murder scene here! Help me, you three!"

Compa smiled sweetly. "Oh, Nep-Nep is already friends with Noire."

"Speaking of pillows, I'm getting a bit tired, and hungry." IF glanced around a bit. Red was going to say something, but realized that the trek to Lastation had taken longer than he had thought it would, mostly because of the new member of the party. Red saw that it was well into the evening. _Great…_

Compa's face shined. "I know! Let's have dinner for Noire! We can have a pillow fight afterwards!"

IF smirked, glancing at Red. "Pillow fight aside, dinner sounds good. Let's go."

* * *

Making their way back to Chian's cafeteria, Neptune bounced in happily. "I'm back! I beat up that monster real good!" Red shivered a bit as he remembered the 'fight' that the monster had put up. Well, a more accurate description would be that it had almost no time to react as Neptune absolutely slaughtered the thing.

"Really?! That's great! Now I don't have to worry about the supplies."

IF smiled. "I guess our first assignment in Lastation was a success."

Chian noticed Noire, and asked, "Hm? It looks like you've got someone new with you. Who is she?"

"She's Noire. She was hurt and lost her memory, so we brought her with us."

"Is that so?" Then Chian leaned forward, getting a better look at Noire. "Wait…" Chian's eyes narrowed, "I've seen her before…" Then her eyes widened, "C-c-c-could it be…? Lady Black Heart?!"

Noire's eyes widened. Before she could say anything, Compa seemed confused. "Noire…Lady Black Heart?"

"What?! News at 10: 'The girl who lost her memory was actually the CPU?!'"

"No, wait! What are you talking about?!" Red sighed. _Well, I'm not sure how much longer she can keep up the act, but it can't be more than a few minutes…_ "I'm, ah, I like cosplay and, um…" Red's left eye twitched. _God dammit, that's actually a thing here, too? Shit._ "I totally love Lady Black Heart, so…"

"Is that it? No wonder you were wearing clothes just like Lady Black Heart. You had me fooled there. I seriously thought you were the Lady in person." Red resisted the almost overwhelming urge to smash his head against the wall, staring at it. The only reason he managed to hold it in was because he didn't want anyone having to clean up his blood.

"Too bad. If Noire was the CPU, I'm sure Chian's wishes would be heard." Red placed his face in his palm in reaction to Compa's statement. _If only you knew…_

"Oh, you, Noire. Causing all this ruckus." Then Neptune smiled awkwardly. "But, you cosplaying all the time like a goddess is, well, kind of creepy."

"Wha?!" Noire looked offended. Again. "Don't call me creepy! I can't help it, I have my reasons!"

Red sighed at rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Listen you two. As much as I would like hearing all this play out, this isn't exactly the place or time to be doing this."

IF inched toward the door. "Chian, we're going to be leaving now, but is there anything else?"

"So soon? Let me at least treat you to all to some good eating."

Red shrugged. "I could go for something to eat." Then he turned to his friends, "Girls?"

Neptune's hand shot into the air, waving frantically. "Oh! Oh! Me too!"

Compa smiled. "I do feel a bit hungry…"

Noire looked hesitate to say something, but finally gave way. "I do feel a bit peckish…"

IF shook her head.

Chian smiled brightly. "Alright then, what would you three like?"

Red smirked. "Surprise me."

* * *

Neptune said something, but Red couldn't quite figure out what it was. Red sighed, and told her, "Neptune, it's impolite to speak with your mouth full."

Neptune gulped. "Sorry." Then she smiled sheepishly.

Red rolled his eyes, then told her, "As long as it doesn't happen again, it's fine. So, how's your food?"

"Absolutely jaw dropping." Neptune took another bite of her burger.

"The soup is so tasty! I feel all warm inside."

Red blinked. Then he let out a sigh. Chian raised a brow and asked, "What's wrong?"

Red shook his head. "Oh, nothing. I just need to get my mind out of the gutter…" Red took another bite out of his eggs, which were done over easy, with a side of hash browns. Red looked at his eggs and smiled. His mother would make him eggs and bacon for breakfast every Monday. "On a less perverted note, these eggs are amazing."

Chian smiled. "It's my mother's pride menu. Glad to know you're all enjoying it."

Noire looked at her food hesitantly. "It's really lavish, but are you sure I can join as well?"

Chian grinned. "Just dig in and enjoy. After all, food tastes better with more people."

IF smiled wholeheartedly. "Yeah, enjoy it. Oh, but it doesn't come with a 'pillow fight,' though." Red sighed again. Things hardly ever stayed peaceful enough for things like that to happen whenever he was around.

Noire blushed. "Th-that's Neptune's fault. It's not like I wanted to do anything to her."

Red held back a snicker as IF rolled her eyes, "Sure, whatever you say. I understand."

Noire looked like she was going to add something, but Neptune looked at her burger with disgust. "Bleh… Who added these eggplants?!"

Red raised a brow. "What, you don't like eggplants? Or is-"

Red didn't even get to finish before Neptune responded. "Don't like? More like hate! How can you stand those purple husks?" Then it looked like an idea struck Neptune upside the head. "I know! Food can sometimes help jof memories, right? Let's have Noire eat it!"

"What?" Noire didn't look amused.

IF looked at Neptune in annoyance. "Nep, you're not a small child. Stop being picky and eat."

Neptune looked to be in a state of disbelief. "What are you saying, Iffy?! Forcing food can sometimes be dangerous! If my delicate body ate these…" Neptune shuddered. "Oh, the horrors, the _horrors_!" Red's left eye twitched slightly. _Delicate my left lung! You survived the same drop as I did, and you barely had any fucking scratches on you!_

"Well, you shouldn't be giving them to others, then! Now, just _eat_!" IF then took the eggplants and shoved them into Neptune's mouth.

"Urm?! I-Iffy, st-sto… Urm!"

IF smirked sadistically. "Hey, maybe the food will jog your memory too?"

Neptune tried to say something, but had to swallow. "I-Iffy, please…st…op…"

Red placed his face into the palm of his hand, and shook his head. Noire was silent. Then Compa voiced her concerns to Noire. "I hope we're not being too loud here."

Noire shook her head, a faint blush on her cheeks. "Not at all. It's just that I've never had such a lively dinner before, so…"

Compa smiled brightly. "Is that so? Well, you're going to be with us, so this won't be your last."

"About that, could I help you with anything?"

"Noire? Help us?" Compa was confused.

Neptune had managed to get away from IF long enough to infer that Noire could have meant. "Aah! So is Noire going to fight with us, too?" Neptune looked absolutely ecstatic at the prospect.

Noire nodded. "Yes. I'm pretty strong, so I could help everyone out a bit."

IF smiled. "Okay. We'd be happy, too, if you could help us." Noire looked surprised that IF would agree. "I can't speak for Red, but I'm getting a bit tired of holding off the randomness these two generate."

Noire sighed. "I kind of know what you mean…"

Neptune jumped in joy. "A party of five people this early in the story! A pretty good start if you ask me."

Chian grinned. "Well, if you're having a good start, mind doing one more job for me? Can you use my weapon that I'm going to exhibit at the Technology Expo?"

Compa blinked. "Technolo-what? Is it like a festival thingy?"

"The Expo is held in Lastation, with companies showcasing their tech. There's also a tournament where the winner can get a trophy from the CPU!"

"A trophy? What an achievement! So, can we take down Avenir with a trophy?"

Chian shook her head. "No. We'll go for the win, and meet the Lady to tell her what's going on!" Red glanced at Noire, but didn't see any reaction from her.

"I see. So that's why you're going to participate?"

"Right. That's why I need you to test out my weapon I'm going to exhibit."

Neptune grinned. "Easy-peasy! But what exactly do you need us to do?"

"Just use this weapon and give me feedback."

"Is that it? Sounds simple enough."

"We can do this with other quests too."

Noire spoke up, having an idea. "Well then…how about doing some work for Avenir?" Red looked at Noire with a raised brow.

Neptune looked at Noire with disbelief. "What?! They're the bad guys! Now way, no how am I going to work for them!"

IF blinked. "Wait…that's a great idea…"

"What do you mean Iffy?" Compa seemed just as confused as Red.

"Avenir must have had problems getting materials like Chian, too."

"So, depending on the work, we may find out what they're going to exhibit."

Red blinked. "How the hell did I not think of that…?"

Neptune looked hesitant. "Hmm… Still, this doesn't feel right…"

IF didn't looked all that happy either. "Well, I don't like Avenir either, but it's good to know who we're up against."

Compa smiled awkwardly. "Let's bear with it, Nep-Nep."

"Hmm… Well, if you say so, Compa."

IF looked absolutely annoyed. "Sure, just ignore me."

Red shrugged. "It's Neptune, so what can you expect?"

IF sighed, "Good point…"

Noire looked between Red and IF. "You two have it tough…"


	8. Revelation

Red sighed, trying to get comfortable on the floor of the motel that the party was currently sleeping in. As far as he could tell, Red was the only person still awake. Closing his eyes, Red tried to remember the last time he was graced with shelter to sleep in. It was years- no, months... Damn, time was finally beginning to play tricks on Red's mind. The point being that Red had gone a _long_ time without sleeping with a roof over his head. Sighing again, Red shifted his body once more, the two beds on either of him were enticing to say the least, but he would just have to suck it up and be grateful for what he had. Red tried to think about things until his mind would be tired, but after what seemed like hours, Red opened his eyes, and looked at the clock on the nightstand closest to him. It was quarter past midnight. _Fuck this, I'm going out for a walk._ Getting up, and putting on his coat, Red silently made his way out of the room, and out onto the streets. There was hardly anybody, save for the occasional insomniac. Red sighed once again, the stress of the things he had seen in his dream catching up to him.

Normally, Red had three ways to deal with stress; the first was drinking or smoking, but since he had emptied the contents of his flask, and he had rushed through his last carton a few days ago, that option was off the table. The second was somewhat shameful to him, but it still worked. It was either masturbation or sex. Since he was sure that none of the girls were nearly that close to him, and he was sure he wouldn't be able to rub one out without some legitimate privacy, that left the final option. Moonlit strolls through cities, forests, or pretty much anywhere the moon's light was shining. Red didn't know why, but once he saw the night sky littered with stars, his mind and body were put at ease. Walking through the somewhat complicated streets of the giant city, Red finally wandered out of civilization. Red breathed in deeply, enjoying the scent of nature. Red walked calmly, knowing that any monster he would come across wouldn't be able to severely hurt him. Hearing a growl behind him, Red turned idly, then his eyes widened.

He was looking into two huge reptilian eyes. Eyes he had seen before. _A fucking_ dragon?! Red jumped back, unsheathing both of his weapons, ready to cut the thing to pieces. But it just stared at him, as if expecting him to make a move. Red looked into the dragon's eyes again, and saw a fire of intelligence behind the menacing glare. Red slowly sheathed his swords, and began to move closer to the dragon. "Easy there, boy." The dragon let out a short growl. "...Girl?" The dragon made a noise similar to humming. _When I thought things couldn't possibly get any fucking weirder..._

Red had finally made it to the dragon, which had kept it's unblinking eyes on him the entire time. Red brought his hand up to the dragon's head, and slowly began to pet her. The dragon closed her eyes and made a small noise of approval. Red smiled warmly before he chuckled. "Hm, what are you doing all the way out here, girl?" The dragon backed up, and turned around, revealing a large gash going down her back. Red sighed, and took a step to get a closer look at the wound. _Hm, I can't tell if this was caused by a person or a monster._ Red sighed again, and closed his eyes. When he opened them, one would probably mistake him for a blind person. Bringing his hand up, it appeared to be covered in white flames. Red put his hand on the beginning of the wound, and slowly began to move his hand down. The dragon tensed up, but didn't move away. Red's hand continued to move down, and the wound was visibly healing. Once Red's hand was removed from the dragon's back, there was no longer any wound, or any traces of it ever happening. Red's eyes slowly returned to normal, and he dropped to his knees, breathing heavily. _Fuck, that_ always _leaves me with a goddamn headache._ Then he felt something nuzzling against him.

Red looked up, and saw the dragon attempting to smile. Then she licked him. Red chuckled, and patted the dragon's head. "Glad I was able to help, girl. Red shakily got to his feet, and began to walk deeper into the forest. The dragon followed happily. Red only sighed, but didn't try to question it. After all, Neptune broke that goddamn fourth wall too many times for him to care. It was what felt like an hour or two later that Red decided to head back to the motel, before anyone could notice his absence. The dragon was still following him. Red sighed. "Girl, you can't follow me into the city, they'll try to kill you." The dragon looked sad, but for once, it stayed behind.

* * *

Once Red had gotten into the city, Red made his way back to the motel. The sun was barely on the horizon. Red yawned, and opened the door, only to be tackled. "Oof!"

"Wh- Oh, it's just you." Red sighed as IF moved herself off of him. As Red got to his feet, Red noticed that none of the others were awake yet.

"Hm, hey, IF?"

"What?"

"Remember what I said, about telling you about what I was, in private?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

Red sighed again. "This just might be the perfect time." Red leaned against the wall. "Now, this might sound farfetched, but I swear on my life that it's the truth. I'm...immortal. And, I'm not exactly human either."

"Well, the immortal part I can understand, but what do you mean you're not human?"

"Exactly that. I can do things that shouldn't be possible. Hell, I just tamed a dragon..." Red blinked. "Oh shit, did I just say that aloud?"

IF stared at Red in disbelief. "You did _what_?!"

Red rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Well, tame is a strong word to use. Let's just say that I helped it out, and it sorta just followed me around for a while. And when I told her that she couldn't come with me into the city, she actually stayed behind..."

"She?!"

"Yeah..."

"Do you have any idea how insane you are for helping that thing?!"

"That depends... Maybe she can help us." IF just kept staring at Red. "Okay enough about the dragon. You wanted to know more about me, right?" IF nodded. "Well, where to begin..." Red sighed, and closed his eyes. "Well, let's start at my childhood. If it could even be called that..." Red opened his eyes. "It was terrible. My father wanted me to be like him. And he was a monster. He felt no guilt, no remorse, and showed no mercy. Whenever I disappointed him, he would lock me in a closet. I had a younger brother, but he ran off when he figured out the life he had wasn't normal. I helped, and the old bastard knew it. However, I stayed only to care for my mother. She was the only ray of sunshine that pierced the darkness that was my father's presence. Anyway, when I was old enough to legally get the hell out of that place, my father killed my mother. Right in front of me." Red could feel the tears welling up. He took his hat off, and stared at it. "This is the only thing I have to remember her by. But," Red returned the hat to where it belonged, "The day my mother died was the day I lost control. I killed my father without any hesitation. Then, around a decade later, I found something I regret to this day. I found the curse of immortality. Around a couple hundred years after that, the voice that resides in my head now made itself known. He had no name, so I just called him Broken, on account of the fact I was losing my sanity." Red sighed again, and looked at the rising sun. "He took control for a while, and slaughtered millions. Damn near destroyed the entire planet. It was around that time I learned of my powers. The ability to control smoke, the advantage of teleportation, and finally, once he had killed the last person on the planet, I discovered the very thing that brought me here. The ability to travel through different universes. The only drawback is that it acts on its own. So, for over thirty-five thousand years, I've been traveling, helping any and all who deserve it."

"So, what you're saying is basically that you're super OP and you can't lose."

"Pretty much."

"Show me."

Red blinked. "What?"

"Show me a couple of your powers."

Red sighed. "Fine, but teleporting is off limits as soon as the others wake up, got it?" IF nodded. "Good. And just so you know, my teleporting is only limited to the places I've been to before."

"Okay then. Show me your pet dragon, then."

"Uh, I don't think that's a good idea."

"You said you tamed it, didn't you?"

"I said that tame is a strong word. But, I suppose I could keep you safe." Red took IF by the hand, and snapped his fingers.

* * *

In an instant they were outside of Lastation, and IF dropped to her knees, both hands clutching her head. Red sheepishly smiled. "Yeah, I probably should have mentioned the fact that I'm used to the headaches. Sorry." IF slammed her fist into Red's stomach. "Oof! Yep, should have seen that coming..." Red clutched his stomach, and coughed a few times. A growl was heard, then a roar. Red looked to the source and saw the dragon, which had not moved an inch. "Whoa, easy there, girl. It's alright, she's a friend of mine." Red moved to comfort the dragon.

IF stared at the creature. "You actually tamed a dragon..."

Red raised a brow, and began petting the dragon's head. "What, did you take me for a liar?"

"No, it's just... I'm having a hard time processing this."

Red nodded. "I can understand. I thought she was going to attack the first time I saw her. But it turned out she only wanted some help." Red smiled. "Yeah, even animals have feelings. Isn't that right, girl?" The dragon hummed happily. Red chuckled. "I really think she likes me."

"I do too..." IF had gotten back to her feet, and kept staring at the dragon.

Red suddenly got an idea. "Hey, why don't you give it a try?"

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Petting her. I'm sure she knows your someone that can be trusted. Go ahead, don't be shy." Red urged IF to pet the dragon.

"I swear, if my hand gets bitten off, I'm going to kill you."

"Got it." Red took IF's hand, and gently placed in between the dragon's eyes. He then moved it up and down a few times before removing his hand. "See, it's not that bad."

IF glanced at him nervously. "Well..." IF slowly removed her hand. "Well, now that that's out of the way, what are you gonna call her?"

Red blinked a few times. "Honestly hadn't thought about it."

"You probably should."

Red sighed. "Right. Well, stay here, girl. I'll be back soon." Then Red grabbed IF's hand and snapped his fingers again.

* * *

As soon as IF was back on her feet she gut-punched Red again. "Don't do that without warning me, okay?!"

Red coughed, then nodded. "It won't happen again." Then Red fell down, face first.


	9. The First Job

Red sighed, rubbing his stomach. _Damn, for a girl her size, she can hit like a fucking truck._ After regaining his breath, Red had IF promise not to tell anybody about what he was. In the time Red was waiting for the others to wake up, he decided to go out and see if he could find a shop that sold smokes. If he was lucky, he would be able to find something resembling a convenience store around. After walking for half an hour, Red decided to give up. Walking back to the motel, Red decided the best thing to do to pass the time was to read. Opening the door to their room, Red looked around for a chair. When he found none, he took his place on the floor between the beds. Snapping his fingers, a gust of smoke had materialized and took the form of a book, and out of the smoke dropped a book that was thicker than two inches. Red looked at the cover, shrugged, and opened the book.

* * *

After an hour of reading, Red had gotten really into the book. Then, he heard a yawn, and someone stretching. Glancing up from his book, Red saw that it was Noire. "Morning. How'd you sleep?" Red asked, trying to make conversation.

"Mhm." Noire glanced at Red and noticed something strange. "Hey, where'd you get that book?"

Red blinked. "Would you believe me if I said I found it?"

"No."

"Great. Would you believe me if I said I stole it?" Red smiled sheepishly, closing the book.

Noire glared at him. "No."

"Wait, what?" Red blinked.

"You're not the kind of person who would steal something."

"Well then, where do you think I got this book? I couldn't a library after walking around for half a goddamn hour..." Red reopened the book, and resumed reading. _That girl's sharp. Too bad she's a terrible liar._

"You probably had it on you the entire time."

Red shrugged. "Whatever floats your boat."

* * *

After an hour or two, Red heard the door open, and he saw IF coming in, with a smile on her face. "Hm, you seem happy..."

"That's because I just got us a job from Avenir."

"Oh yeah, I completely forgot about that..." Red closed the book, and set it on the bed that was empty. "So, what exactly are we doing?"

"Well, we sort of have to meet someone to find out." IF rubbed the back of her head awkwardly.

Red sighed. "Great."

* * *

Red had just fallen asleep on the empty bed, when he woke up to the sound of the door opening. Noire happily pranced into the room. Red glanced around ans realized they were the only two inside. Red closed his eyes again, trying to get comfortable. "Ta-da! I bought eyeglasses!" Red cracked open one eye in irritation.

"Good for you. Now, if you can please keep it down, yeah, that'd be _great_."

Noire jumped. "Oh, Red. I thought you were out. Sorry to wake you."

Red sighed, sitting up. "It's fine. Now, if you would be so kind as to tell me why you seem so proud of yourself?"

Noire held up the glasses proudly. "As long as I have these, no one can find out who I am."

Red blinked. "You know what? That logic is absolutely _flawless_..."

Noire smiled happily. "I know, right? Now, let's give this a try. Let's see... Mirror... Mirror..." Noire stepped into the bathroom and slipped on the glasses. "Hm...not bad. In fact, I look pretty good in these." Noire stepped out of the bathroom, looking as if she had accomplished something.

"I can agree that that is indeed the case."

"I never really tried eyeglasses on before, but, I think I can handle it." Then Noire was silent for a moment. "I got that 'I can do anything!' look to me. Pretty cool."

"Are you even registering anything I'm saying?"

"I should put them on when I have to work at a desk or something."

Red sighed, got up form the bed, walked to Noire, and proceeded to snap his fingers in front of her dace. "Hello, Gamindustri to Noire."

"Huh? Oh, Red. How long have you been here?"

Red sighed again. "Long enough. So, about your whole 'disguise'..."

"Oh, right. I should show this to Neptune..." Noire smiled happily at the thought.

Red blinked. "You know, that wasn't what I was going to say, but whatever." Red moved back to the bed, closing his eyes. "If you need me, just wake me."

Suddenly, Neptune. "Noire! Let's go eat some pudding!"

"Wha-?!" Red opened one eye to see Noire jumped back a few feet.

"Oh, hey, Neptune." Red half heartedly waved.

"Hey, Red. Want to eat some pudding with us?"

Red shook his head. "Nah, I'm too tired."

Noire looked at Neptune in horror. "You...didn't hear what we were saying, right?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Neptune blinked a couple times before a devious smirk formed. "Were you two talking about something in private?"

Red blinked. "No."

Neptune looked between Noire and Red. "Oh, I get it now!"

Red raised a brow. "Oh, do tell what you think was happening."

Neptune grinned. "You two were getting all lovey dovey. And probably making out, too."

Noire stuttered in shock. "W-what?! O-of course we w-weren't!"

Red glanced at Noire. "While I admit that I find Noire attractive, she's not my type."

Noire nodded. "Exact- Hey! What is that supposed to mean?!" Noire turned to glared daggers at Red.

"Well, to be specific, you're not very honest. And you can be a bit of a bitch at times."

"What?!" Noire jumped at Red, attempting to strangle him. "I'll show you how much of a bitch I can _really_ be!"

"Whoa, calm the hell down!" Red was having trouble keeping the girl's hands away from his throat.

"Not until you take it back!" Noire's eyes were full of the intent to kill.

"Okay, I take it back. Goddamn, woman..."

Noire stopped her assault on Red. "I'm glad you saw the errors of your thinking." Noire stood up, and turned away.

"Damn, and I thought I had anger issues..." Red muttered under bis breath.

"What was that?" Noire looked over her shoulder.

"Nothing."

"That's what I thought. Well, I'll be going out for a stroll. Alone." Noire left, slamming the door closed.

"Aww, I wanted to eat some pudding with her..." Neptune looked crestfallen.

Red hefted himself back onto the bed. "Then go after her." _Goddamn, is the author trying to kill me off?_

"But-"

"Not buts. Now go." Red yanked down the brim of his hat so that it covered his eyes. "I need sleep."

* * *

"Though it is quite unfortunate, let's start working for Avenir..."

Red sighed. "While I agree with this whole thing being far from what I would want, at least have the willpower to keep that to yourself, Neptune."

Compa smiled apologetically. "Nep-Nep doesn't really have a zipper for her mouth..."

Then Noire came running up to the rest of the party. "Sorry for the wait. It took a while to get ready."

Neptune looked at the glasses on Noire's face. "Hey, Noire, what's with the eyeglasses?"

"Oh, you mean these?" Red's left eye twitched. _What the fuck_ else _could she be referring to?_

"I bet you are enamored with yourself with those eyeglasses on."

"O-of course not! Who would do such a shameful thing?!"

"Okay, that's enough you two. You can continue after our work is done. Let's go." IF started to walk, with Compa right behind her. Neptune sighed, but still trudged along.

Red rolled his eyes as he and Noire stayed behind everybody else. "So, was impressing Neptune the real reason you got those things?"

"W-why would you think that?" Red deadpanned. "Okay, yes. Just don't tell anyone, or I will finish what I started at the motel."

Red sighed. "These lips are sealed. And, a word of advise. Try doing things she enjoys with her. That might help more than changing your appearance slightly."

* * *

"Nice to meet you. We've been waiting." Red saw two men, both in suits. "So you're the folks who will be handling our orders?"

"Yes, and you're our client...Ganache?"

"Yes. My name is Ganache, and I work at the Avenir company." Ganache gestured to the other man. "This here is our representative, President Singe."

Singe didn't say anything. Noire stared at the two men. "It's rare to get work from your ranks. Or is it we're just that important?"

Red snorted. "Yeah, like a bunch of girls, with one guy thrown in the mix, would _really_ be worth the personal time..." IF gut-punched Red again. "Son of a..."

"Stop the unnecessary prattle. I don't have time to spare." Singe decided to voice his annoyance.

"Oh, my. I am so sorry." Ganache turned to the party. "Very well, then. Here's what I would like to order of you."

"Let's hear it!"

"We are planning to construct a new plant around the area here. But, we are having problems with a certain monster around the area."

"So, all we need to do is kill the thing?" Red asked.

"Exactly. We will be inspecting the area, so we need it cleared out."

"As long as the place is cleared out, I could care less what you all do." Singe spoke again. _Hm, he's starting to remind me of someone..._

"Is that it? That's a lot easier than I thought. I was thinking we were going to have to do office work and stuff."

"I'm glad too, since I'm not very good with detailed work."

"Yeah, you don't seem good with that, Compa."

"I used to work placing belladonnas on food, but I was even bad at that..." Red stared at Compa for a few moments. _How in the fuck can someone be bad at- Wait, aren't belladonnas lethal?_

"Yeah, I can related." Neptune smiled for a moment or two. "...Wait a sec. What kind of job is that?!"

"For the record...belladonnas are lethal. Those were probably edible orchids."

Red sighed. "Look, let's just get this done." Then Red began to walk off to find the monster Ganache was talking about.

* * *

"Hmm.. I guess it isn't that easy to find out what Avenir is gonna exhibit."

"Well, I really wasn't expecting this to work out. But at the very least, we can test out Chian's weapon."

"Speaking of, Noire, you'll be fighting with us, right?"

"Yes, that's right."

"If that's the case, Red..." Neptune had a curious glint in her eye. "There's some monsters over there, so let's fight one to see how good Noire is."

Noire's eye twitched. "You underestimate me, but fine...take a good look with those eyes of yours."

"Hey, to make things fun, why not bet our puddings? Winner takes all!"

"You're on. Not much of a bet though, since I'll win."

"I dunno. I'm not planning to lose, you know? Transform!" A bright light engulfed Neptune, and when it died, she was in her HDD form. "Time to get serious..."

"What the?! That's not fair! No transforming!"

"Well then, why don't you transform, too?" Red froze, as did Noire. They exchanged a glance, worried.

"Wha-?!"

"Nep-Nep, a normal person can't transform like you."

"Random as usual..."

Red let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Well, a bet is a bet. I won't let you go easy." _Whenever pudding is on the line, Neptune doesn't fuck around..._

"Nep-Nep gets so serious when pudding is on the line..." Red blinked. _Okay, that was weird..._

* * *

Red looked one as Noire and Neptune raced each other to kill the final monster. "Take this!" Neptune cleaved the thing in two. Then she wore a satisfied smile. "I won."

"What are you saying? I won first." _Oh, no..._

"No, I was ten letters ahead of you."

Red sighed. "Okay, I am not going to listen to this. You both kill it. It's a tie."

"No way!"

"That's right! No way I could be even with Neptune!"

Red facepalmed. "I swear you two are going to be the death of me..."


	10. The Demon's Awakening

After walking for a good amount of time, Neptune asked, "Speaking of, what's this monster we have to beat?"

"It looks like it's a large-sized monster."

Red blinked. "And...?"

"That's it. That was pretty much all that the documents had in them."

Red clapped his hands together. "Well, I don't know about anybody else, but I'm feeling _great_ about that lack of information." Red's voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Well, we can ask someone when we need more information."

"Like that's gonna happen..." Red rolled his eyes at Compa's suggestion.

"My, my, to see known faces here..." Red blinked. And everyone turned to see a girl with blue hair, and a hat with cogs.

Red blinked again. "And you are...?"

The girl smiled. "My name, you ask? Yes, of course... You can call me MAGES.."

"Mages?" Neptune tilted her head.

"That's 'MAGES.' with a period." MAGES. corrected.

"Um, I don't think that makes verbal sense... Well, okay. MAGES. it is!"

"Hm, you said something similar the last time, too."

"Huh? Wait, are you someone I know?"

"This is great, Nep-Nep. You finally met someone who knows you."

Red coughed. "Well, one that hasn't tried to kill her anyway."

"From the way it sounds, it looks like Neptune lost her memory." MAGES. deducted, ignoring Red's comment.

"Exactly! Wow, how'd you know?"

"With my expertise, I can extract the truth from mere words." MAGES. sighed. "Unfortunately, though, I may not be of much help to you."

Red raised a brow. "Exactly why not?"

"To put it simple, I came from another dimension. As such, the Neptune I know is not the Neptune in front of me."

"What do you mean? I'm starting to get confused." Compa looked to be having a hard time processing what MAGES. was saying.

"So, MAGES. came from another world and not here, right?"

"Hm, I see. As sharp as usual, IF."

"Aside from you knowing Nep, I want to ask you something. We're looking for a certain monster here, but do you know anything?"

"I do, but it is in exchange for other information."

"Sure, but I don't have any info on how you can return to your dimension."

"No, not that. I want to know where I can buy Doc P."

"Ew...that sounds...bleh. Uh, Compa, do you know what it is?"

"I've never heard it before. Nep-Nep?"

"You're asking someone who lost her memory. How 'bout you, Noire?"

"First time for me too. Red?"

Red shrugged. "I have absolutely no idea. Uh, what exactly is this 'Doc P'?"

MAGES. seemed flabbergasted. "No one knows what Doc P is?! The drink of the chosen, Doc Tear Popper?!" Red blinked, then facepalmed. _I'm not even going to say anything..._

"Nope."

MAGES. pulled out a phone, and called someone. "Hello? The Organization has removed the existence of Doc P." A pause. "...I can't give up now. There must be traces of Doc P remaining. You continue the search there. I bid you luck. Loochs tneve emag noitamina cusim." MAGES. ended the call and put the pone away. "Tch...! I can't believe Doc P does not exist here, as well."

Red cleared his throat. "So, yeah, about that question we had...?"

"Oh, right. What would you like to know?" Then MAGES. blinked. "Wait, you're new..."

Red rolled his eyes. "Yeah, another dimension may have that. Anyway, you wouldn't happen to know where a large-sized monster would be, would you?"

"Is that it? I saw one just a short while ago."

"Really?"

"It is easily identifiable with its visual difference from the others."

Red sighed contently. That made the job a fuck of a lot easier. "Oh, I could kiss you..."

"Please don't."

Red grinned. "I said _could._ "

"I assume you will now be hunting the monster down?" MAGES. sighed. "I would like to help, but I have an urgent manner to attend to."

Red chuckled. "You're not weaseling out because I made that comment about kissing you, are you?"

"Of course not. I have to find the Doc P."

Red rolled his eyes. "Sure, well, have fun."

"I bid you farewell." And then MAGES. left.

"Well, if she saw it not too long ago, it should still be nearby. Now, let's go kill it and get this job done."

* * *

After some walking and killing of nearby monsters, Red caught sight of one that was _definitely_ bigger than the others. "Uh, I think I see the thing we're meant to exterminate." Red pointed at the wolf creature.

"It is a lot bigger than the others."

"Bingo. I think we've got it. Let's go everyone!"

The creature looked at the group, and growled. Then it charged. Red grinned, and unsheathed his sword. The monster leaped, it's gigantic jaws open wide. Red leaped, and the monster's jaws slammed down. Right onto Red's sword. Red grinned, pulled out his other sword, and slammed it into the monster's left eye.

The wolf howled in pain, and tried to shake Red off. Red dislodged the sword from the eye of the beast, and jumped back, grinning, blood splattered on his face. Without realizing it, Red chuckled darkly. Then, he lunged, a grin on his face, and a spark of insanity in his eyes. The wolf creature growled, then retreated quite a few paces. Red chuckled again, before asking the wolf creature, "What's wrong, Pup? Never have to defend your place as the Alpha?" Red chuckled yet again, his eyes full of madness. "Well then, time to see how fast I can make you my bitch..." Then Red did something ludicrous. He sheathed his weapons. And tightened his hands into fists. Red's grin widened, somehow. The wolf lunged again, it's jaws open wide. Red's hands were like lightning, reaching the jaws and holding them open with an iron grip. Then, Red slammed the beast's head into the ground, along with the rest of it's body. Red released his grip, and kicked the creature, sending it sailing. The creature tried to get to it's feet, whimpering. Red was obviously thoroughly enjoying the monster's torment.

 ** _"You should just get this over with."_**

 _No, I'm going to savor these moments.  
_

The creature managed to stand, fear evident in it's eyes. It turned, and tried to run. Red chuckled, grabbed the beast's tail, and yanked back. Red chuckled darkly as he drew his hand back, and drove it into the beast's back. It howled, wanting nothing more than to get away from the demon that had escaped it's cage. Red laughed maniacally, and drove his other hand in. Red grabbed the monster's spine, still laughing, and began to tug. The wolf howled with everything in it's being, trying in vain to flee. Red's eyes turned pitch black as he gave one final tug, and managed to rip the beast completely in half, letting it rain blood and entrails. Red spread his arms wide, laughing his mind to pieces. Until he heard someone say his name. "Red...?"

It was Compa, her voice shaking. "Yes?" Red asked, still chuckling.

"Why did you...?"

Red barked out a laugh. "Why?" Red brought his arms around himself, and asked her, "Why not?" Red turned to face Compa, and stopped dead. Her eyes were wide in uncontrollable fear. Red opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out. Red looked at his hands, covered in the still warm blood, and he took a step forward. Everyone took five steps away from Red. Red dropped to his knees, his eyes returning to normal, as the realization hit Red in full force. "What the fuck have I done...?" Tears began to obscure Red's vision, and Red dropped even further, catching himself with his arms. _Why the_ fuck _didn't you stop me?!_

 ** _"It's better that they find out soon rather than later. At least now they kinda know what goes on in here."_**

 _Goddamn it!_ Red slammed his fist in the dirt, forming a crater around him. _I couldn't control that damn blood lust. How can I ever show my face to them again?!_

 ** _"Well, apologizing would be a pretty good start..."_**

 _Fuck off._ Red slammed his fist into the ground again, size of the crater doubling in size. "Dammit!" Red yelled, the tears flowing freely now. The demon had escaped the prison inside of Red, and had added a single soul to the toll of it's victims. Red wasn't even sure how many digits were in the range anymore. _  
_

"Red...?" Red didn't acknowledge the gentle voice. And only sobbed harder. That is, until he was grabbed by the collar, and smacked three times. "Get a hold of yourself!" Red was surprised to see, of all people, Neptune clutching his clothing, a stern look on her face.

"N-Neptune...? Wha-" Red was interrupted as he was smacked again.

"Pull yourself together, dammit!" Neptune looked straight into Red's eyes. "Clean yourself up, and stop being an emotional wreck."

* * *

Red kept himself at least ten paces behind everyone else. As they entered the cafeteria, Red immediately sat at the table furthest from everyone else., and placed his face in his hands. Chian raised a brow, and asked, "What's with him?"

Everybody glanced to each other nervously. Neptune cleared her throat, and told Chian how Red had slaughtered the monster with no remorse, which caused Red to bury his face deeper into his hands. Red could feel the stare from where he sat, until he snapped out, "Okay! I get it! I fucked up! Now can you all please not judge me?!" Red's eyes widened as he realized his mistake. "Sorry..." Red sighed, and pulled out the flask, removed the lid, and began to chug. Once the contents of the metal container were down Red's throat, he closed it, and returned it to his coat. Everyone stared at him. "What? I drink when I'm stressed, okay?" Red sighed. "So, if you'll all excuse me, I'll be going to get some sleep." Once Red was out on the streets, he muttered, "Hopefully, I won't be plagued by nightmares..." Red was so caught up in his own problems that he didn't notice the familiar figure close by.

* * *

Red opened the door, and flopped down onto one of the beds, closing his eyes, passing out almost immediately.

* * *

Darkness, all around him, yet again. Red sighed, floating around aimlessly. Until he recognized Histoire's silhouette. _Histoire, can you hear me?_

"Oh, Red, I didn't hear you. What brings you here?"

Red looked around. _And where exactly is 'here'?_

"Well, my best guess is that this is a joined mindscape between the two of us. Although that's just my hypothesis."

Red shrugged. _Better than anything I could have come up with._ Red sighed. _Well, on the topic of why I'm here; I have no damn clue._

"What?!" Histoire sounded shocked. "Well, how did you get here last time?"

 _Well, I'm pretty sure that I was the closest to death that I could get._ Red scratched the back of his head, wondering if the state of his mental health had something to do with the meetings with Histoire. Suddenly, the darkness began turning to white again. _Dammit, looks like that's all the time I have. Well, see you whenever we find the next Key Fragment._

* * *

Red yawned loudly, rubbing his eyes, and sat up, still in the bed. "Mmm, I really don't want to get up..." Red mumbled. "But, fuck what I want." Red got out of the bed, and realized he was the only one in the room. _Shit, what time is it?_ Red looked at the clock and saw it was half past eight. Red walked out, and saw the rest of his party.


	11. Betrayal

Red walked up to his friends and asked. "Why didn't anyone wake me?"

IF smiled sheepishly. "Well, after your outburst yesterday, we all thought it would be better to let you sleep in."

Red rolled his eyes. "Anyway, what are we doing for today?"

"We're going to get another job from Avenir."

Red sighed. "Great. Well, if everyone was waiting on me, let's get going."

* * *

"And so, Nep and family have arrived at a closed factory for Avenir's work!" Neptune narrated the current events going on.

Red rolled his eyes, smiling. Noire sighed. "You're happy, as usual."

"Hey, when you don't have your memory, you can do whatever you want!" Red's eye twitched. _I don't think that's how it works..._

Noire smiled warmly. "I sometimes admire your free nature." Then the smiled vanished, replaced with a more business like expression. "In any case, what's this about being called to this kind of place?"

"It's been awhile folks," Ganache explained, "I would like work done again from you."

"Hiya there," Neptune greeted. "You must work a lot. Don't get burned out, you hear?"

"Do I look that busy?" Ganache smiled. "I have been taking breaks quite liberally."

"I wish I could take breaks when I want, too."

"Well, most of our work is handled by machines, so things are easy." Red's eye twitched again. _Soulless hunks of metal..._ "Now, getting back to business. Let's get right to the subject." Ganache gestured to the abandoned building, "As you can see, it has been years since this facility was in operation."

"So what are we doing here?"

"There is a certain item we have not recovered since the closure. We want you to find it and bring it back to us."

"Is that it? Wow, that sounds even easier than last time."

"It does, doesn't it? Well, on the contrary, there's monsters there now."

Red cursed under his breath. "Great. So, we'll be taking care of that too?"

"So, what's this thing we need to recover? It sounds pretty important."

"It is a certain ore. We call it the 'Lastelite'. Just one gram holds enough power to power a game console for then thousand years." Ganache sighed, "The excavation is difficult, so we'd like to recover what we have."

IF looked suspicious. "I've...never heard of such an ore before."

"'Lastelite'... I've never heard of it, either." Noire looked at Ganache with skepticism.

"If it's that great, I would at least know about it..."

"Well, of course, we held monopoly of this ore. We did not disclose it or the sake of holding full control of it."

"Well, if it's that super, would you mind giving us a small wee bit?"

Red snorted. "Yeah, Neptune, like _they_ would ever let something like that out of their hands..."

"But, Red, it can run game consoles for ten thousand years! It's like-"

"Neptune, no means no. Unless there's a safe word..." Red smiled, thinking about the times he had had with previous women.

Ganache cleared his throat. "While I didn't need to know that... I suppose we could give you a small bit."

"Really?!"

"Yes. We were able to work efficiently because of your work last time. As long as you keep this a secret, I don't see any harm in sharing a bit."

"Yay! I thought Avenir was kind of 'bleh', but Ganache saved the day!"

Ganache smiled. "I'm happy to know that." Then he clapped his hands together. "Now, we don't want to waste time here. Please take care of that order."

"Okay! Leave it to Captain Nep and her friendly crew."

IF sighed. "Sure, Captain, lead us to the depths of the ocean..."

Red chuckled. "Yeah, well, you all can go on ahead, I'd like to have a word in private with Ganache."

Everyone looked puzzled, but nobody questioned it. Once the others were out of earshot, Red looked straight into Ganache's eyes. "Why?"

Ganache smirked. "Well, since you got the job done so fast last time, you all were the most logical choice for this mission."

Red glared. "That's not what I was asking."

"I'm afraid I don't quite understand."

Red growled. "Why the fuck wasn't the ore recovered as soon as the place was finished?"

Ganache sighed. "I'm afraid that's classified information."

Red grabbed Ganache by the collar and yanked him closer, their faces inches apart. Red's eyes had turned pitch black. "If this is a trap, if you're trying to kill us, you better pray that the others are there to keep me from tearing you limb from limb. Got that?" Red let the man go, and growled again.

Ganache chuckled. "What would be in it for my company?"

"If you're lying to me..." Red sighed as his eyes returned to normal, and joined up with his friends, entering the warehouse. As soon as he was inside, the door slammed shut. Red's eyes twitched almost uncontrollably.

"Why did the door close behind us?! Ganache, what's going on?!"

"Oh, my bad. I must have pressed something." Then Ganache chuckled. "...Well, that's not quite true. I shut it for my convenience. I'd like to ask you all to satisfy the hunger of the monsters there."

Red's entire body trembled with rage. "Ganache, I am going to make you suffer for this..." He could barely mutter those words out, although nobody could hear him.

"Hey! What?! Why?! I'm not gonna go get your precious ore if you do this!"

Red took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. "Neptune, that was a lie. I'm sure everything he said was nothing but lies."

Noire was furious...maybe. "What?! You tricked us?! But why?!"

Ganache was quick to answer. "I already know that you are helping Chian from Passe. I assume you were trying to get information on our exhibit plans, no?"

"Iffy! They knew all along!"

"I can't believe they knew about this..."

Red said as calmly as he could, "Ganache, I am going to force feed you everyone you care about, and then I'm going to rip your eyes out, and shove them down your throat..."

Ganache laughed. "Oh, I honestly doubt that you could."

Red's eyes turned pitch black. "Wanna test that?"

"As much as I would love to do so, I have to go. Farewell." Ganache left, laughing.

 _I am going to skin that bastard alive._ Red growled. "Well, looks like this way out isn't an option." Red sighed, attempting to calm down.

Compa looked scared, and turned to IF. "Iffy, what's going to happen to us?"

"Um, well..."

"We're going to get out, and I am going to hunt that bastard down, and I am going to make a new coat."

"I'm sorry. This is all my fault."

Red glanced at Noire. "No it's not."

"But, if I hadn't suggested taking Avenir's work, this wouldn't have..."

Red sighed. "Look, nobody can change the past, but we sure as hell can make sure we get out of this alive. And that's exactly what we're going to do."

Neptune jumped onto Red's back, surprising the man, and exclaimed, "He's right! Now, onward, my trusty stead!"

Red growled. "Never do that again, got it?"

Neptune laughed nervously, and slowly removed herself from Red. "Sorry."

Red rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Let's just focus on finding another way out of here."

* * *

After about ten minutes, which was almost entirely full of slaughtering monster, Compa stated, "Aah... There's so many monsters here."

Red nodded. "I'm actually starting to get a little tired..."

IF looked around. "Odd... Even if this was a monster nest, this is way too many."

Red's eyes widened. "You don't think Avenir gathered all of these things to try and take us out?"

"Even if that was the case, how? How can you herd this number of monsters?"

Red shrugged, and was about to say something, when Neptune exclaimed, "Hey, Iffy. Look what I found!" Neptune held up an object in her hand. "This isn't what I think it is, is it?"

IF looked at the object. "This is...an Enemy Disc! Where did you get it?!"

"Oh, I found it in that room. Do I get a prize for finding it?!" Neptune was obviously about to say something, when Red smacked her upside her head. "Ow! What was that for?"

Red frowned. "You get nothing."

Noire looked at the three in confusion. "What are you all talking about? What's this about a disc?"

Red sighed. "Apparently, this little things is a monster spawner. Damn things..."

"What?! Really?! If so that's an amazing discovery!"

Red shrugged. "I wouldn't say amazing as much as interesting..."

"Well, it's been three years since monster started appearing. Each Land is trying to find out the source, but none have found it yet."

Neptune's eyes sparkled. "So, if we tell everyone, we could become famous?!" Neptune's eyes sparkled even more, somehow. "Can you imagine all the paparazzi storming in for pictures and stuff?! We'll be rich! I'll make a pool full of pudding! Mmm...pudding..." Neptune began drooling.

Red sighed, and pointed to Neptune's mouth. "Uh, Neptune, you got a little something right there."

"Did you let Lastation's CPU...no, the Basilicom know?"

Red barked out a laugh. "You know, we would, but their hospitality is just _awful_."

"I see..." Noire looked up in thought.

"Iffy, what should we do with it? I can crush it in slow-mo if you'd like."

Red was about to snatch the disc and break it, when a pack of monsters appeared. "Son of a bitch. Why can't things ever be easy?" Just as Red said that, even more monsters appeared. "Fuck my life..."

Noire looked at all the creatures. "This is going to be a pain handling them all..."

Red grinned. "You know, this could be the perfect chance to let out the seething rage I have for Ganache and Avenir." Red's eyes turned pitch black, he drew his sword, and jumped at the monsters.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Red ripped the last monster in half, laughing. "Holy fuck, this is an excellent stress reliever!"

Neptune, in her HDD form, stared at him. "Well, I'm glad you think of this as therapy, but fighting in this form is exhausting..." Then Neptune transformed back, and she fell back onto her ass, panting. "I'm beat..."

Red chuckled, and helped Neptune to her feet. "Well, if you had just let me handle things, you wouldn't be as tired." Red rolled his eyes as Neptune looked at his in expectance. "But in all seriousness, you did a fantastic job of helping."

"Don't flatter her, Red. It'll go to her head."

Red shrugged. "Come on, I'm only throwing her a bone. What's wrong with that?"

"Yes, praise me! Or pamper me, if you prefer. I'm fine with either, really."

IF didn't say anything. Red sighed. "Okay, maybe it was a mistake. Maybe..." Red sighed, searching for the disc. After he had located it, he picked it up, and crushed it in his hands.

Everybody winced. IF cleared her throat as Red plucked the shards out of his palms. "Isn't that a bit much?"

Red glanced at her, and shrugged. "Probably. But it's better to make sure." Red blinked remembering something. "Hey, wasn't there a monster disc in some cave we were in?"

IF nodded. "Yeah, and you were unconscious when we found it."

"And wasn't it the same cave where we found the Key Fragment?"

"Wait, you don't think there might be a Key Fragment in here, do you?"

Red shrugged. "Well, like most things, if there's a pattern, it's likely to repeat. So, yes."

Noire looked very confused. "Key Fragment? What's that?"


	12. Confrontation

Neptune looked at Noire in mild embarrassment. "Oh, right. We didn't tell you about that yet. Oops." Neptune then pulled out the Key Fragment for display. "It looks like this... Noire, have you seen one before?"

Noire shook her head. "No... Why? Are you collecting these?"

Neptune giggled. "Glad you asked! It's to revive Histy and save the world!"

Noire blinked, and was silent for a few seconds. "Ah...um...Red? Is she...okay?"

Red deadpanned. "That depends on what you mean by that. If you're asking about her in general, probably not."

"Hey! How rude! Even the docile me is angry now!"

Red chuckled and rolled his eyes. "But she was telling the truth just now. We need to collect one from each continent and release the tome that goes by the name of Histoire."

Noire began mumbling something to herself. Neptune looked at her in mild concern. "Hm? What's wrong, Noire? You got a bug in your mouth?"

"Huh? Oh, no, I'm just mumbling to myself. Don't let it bother you."

"Oh, I thought you went nutty in the head with all the pressure, Noire. Well, if that happens, don't worry. I'm sure psychiatrists can help."

Noire growled. "You're the one who needs help in the head!" Then she sighed. "I can't believe how lax you are approaching all this..."

"You're so friendly with Nep-Nep, Noire."

Red grinned. "Yeah, if I didn't know any better, I'd actually think you two were a couple."

"What?! Me?! Neptune?! Of course not! Don't be ridiculous!" Noire was blushing furiously. Red couldn't tell if it was from anger or embarrassment.

Red's grin widened. "Oh, come on. Can't you just see it? The two of you-" Red didn't get to finish his sentence, because Noire gut-punched him, knocking the breath out of him.

"Like _that_ would ever happen!"

"Oh, I don't know Noire. We would make a cute couple." Neptune smiled at the thought. "Besides, Red's the only guy that we know that isn't an NPC." Neptune blinked. "Well, other than Ganache and the other guy."

"I think his name was Singe." Red really didn't care about the guy, but he at least had the decency to remember his name.

"Yeah, whatever. And I don't think any of them have any feelings for you."

"Especially since those two just betrayed us." Red pointed out.

"So, the only obvious choice as a love interest would be me!" Red facepalmed at Neptune's logic.

"Well, as much as I would love for this conversation to continue, I think that we should get moving." Then Red grinned. "Just don't make too much noise when we get back to the motel."

Noire growled, but didn't say anything. Neptune began to blush, along with IF, and Compa looked confused. Red laughed, loving the time he had with his friends.

* * *

"Red, are we there-"

"Neptune, if you finish that sentence, I swear I will cut off your goddamn legs." Red had heard that sentence more times than he could count.

"Sorry..."

Compa raised her hand slightly. "Um, I'm tired too..."

Red sighed. "You girls really need exercise. Honestly, it's almost impressive how tired you two can get..."

"Exercise? I play games, so does pushing buttons-"

"No." Red sighed again.

"Everyone, can you come here for a bit?" Noire called back, being ahead of everybody.

* * *

"So, what's the problem?" Red was not in the mood for more bullshit.

"This on the wall... Isn't this the disc you showed me?"

Everyone looked at the disc. "Son of a bitch..." Red was about to go through some more bullshit.

"So that means there's more around?!" Neptune pouted. "Planeptune had one and Lastation has two. That's not fair!" Red smacked Neptune upside the head, annoyed. "Ow! What was that for?!"

"This isn't a contest Neptune." Red sighed. "Well, I guess that answers the monster problem..." Red walked up to the disc, and drew him sword, about to destroy it.

"Oh, wait! Can I break it?!"

Red's left eye twitched. "No." Then Red plunged the sword into the disc, shattering it into tiny pieces. "Now, let's get the hell out of the god forsaken place so I can sleep."

"Are you really that tired?"

"No. I'm annoyed, angry, and if I see Ganache again, I am going to strangle him with his own entrails!"

Everyone was silent. Red blinked then sighed. "I'm sorry, I get very violent when I'm angry." Then Red yawned. "Now let's get out of here. I want to sleep."

* * *

"Yay, we're outside!"

"Being under the warm sun feels so good."

"Perfect for taking a nap."

Red yawned. "Please don't mention sleep around me..." He seemed to be having trouble just keeping his eyes open.

"Uh, Red? Are you okay?" Noire looked at Red with worry.

"I'm tired, angry, and I'm about to collapse. But, other than that, I'm fan-fucking-tastic!" Red was about to say something else, when he noticed that IF was unusually quiet. "What's wrong?"

"I was wondering what Ganache was trying to accomplish."

"Probably thought he could actually off us back there."

"I don't know. There were enemy discs there, maybe there was some other motive."

Red shrugged. "Who knows?"

"Oh, you two are such worrywarts. You're thinking too much. We came out in one piece, so all is good! Let's just go back to Chian."

Red blinked, and remembered the words that Ganache said. "Shit! We have to go make sure she's okay!"

"What do you mean, Red?"

"Ganache said that he knew we were helping Chian! We have to make sure that she's safe!" At this point, all the fatigue had disappeared for Red. Now, he was ready to take on an army, if it meant keeping his friend safe.

"What?!"

"Well then, what are we waiting for?!"

Red growled. "I am going to rip Ganache's head off, and mount it someplace where I will see it every single day." Red's eyes had turned pitch black, and he was ready to kill anything that stood in his way between him and the bastard, Ganache. "And while I'm at it, I might slaughter anyone who works at Avenir."

Everyone stared at Red in fear, although he took a deep breath.

"Dammit, I can't think straight. Let's get going."

* * *

When everyone returned to Lastation, they saw a horrible sight. The city was in ruins. Red was having trouble keeping the demon caged, ready to kill anyone who had helped in this. "I am going to take their souls, and send them to the deepest pits of hell."

"Everyone! You're safe!" Chian ran up to everybody, out of breath.

Red sighed in relief. "Are you alright?"

"Somehow. Anyway, you need to get out of here! It's too dangerous!"

Red raised a brow. "But what about you?"

"I'm going to the Basilicom to ask for Lady Black Heart's help." Red glanced quickly to Noire, expecting some reaction. But she was stone faced. "The Lady should help us. All of you should get to a safe place."

Red sighed. "Sorry, no can do. I've got a grudge against one bastard in particular, and I'm going to make him pay. No matter what happens to me."

"Yeah, we have a little agenda to take care of with Ganache."

"Don't worry, we'll take care of Avenir and anything else in our way."

Red turned, and felt his left eye twitch. _I am going to make that man pay. In any way possible._

* * *

Red heard laughing. "Good! Good! Killachine!" Red inwardly facepalmed at the name of the robot that he saw. "Destroy! Destroy! Destroy!" Ganache chuckled. "With the performance here, this will sure to sell well to our 'client.'" It was then that Ganache began doing something to the machine, smirking. "Now, let me add a bit more juice, here. Let's see your power, Killachine!"

Red ground his teeth, and spoke, "That's enough. Did you forget what I told you, Ganache?"

"Oh..." Ganache counted everyone. "Well, looks like you all made it out safely."

Red growled. "You honestly thought those monsters would be the end of us?"

"Oh, of course not. But they did keep you busy for a while, didn't they?" Ganache gestured toward the destruction all round them. "And with that time, I was able to demonstrate our new weapon."

Red's eyes twitched. "You animal..."

Ganache raised a brow, smirking. "Animal? Well, even if that's true, what can you do about it?"

Red grinned, his eyes turning pitch black. "I can rip out your heart, and take your soul."

"Oh, that sounds entertaining to watch you try."

Red began walking, the grin widening. "Oh, I'm not going to try. I'm going to do it."

Suddenly, Red felt a tug on his coat. Turning, Red saw Noire, glaring at him. "You're not the only one who has a bone to pick with him."

Red looked around, sighing. "Of course not."

"Well, are we done talking? I'm quite a busy man."

Red's grin returned. "Might as well get to the inevitable, eh? That's fine. I am looking forward to turning that hunk of metal into basically nothing." Red drew his sword, and pointed it and the machine.

It was then that Neptune transformed. "Ganache, you've gone way too far. Feel the pain that Chian and her people suffered!"

Ganache, for once, was almost speechless. "What?! That form...but, why are you here?!" Then Ganache looked at Noire, absolutely bewildered. "You! You're supposed to be her enemy! Why?!"

Red chuckled at Ganache. "You know, a little love can go a long way."

Ganache glared at Red. "What are you talking about?!"

Red grinned, and saw the flash of light, signalling that Noire had transformed. "Check, and mate..."

Everyone aside from Red, maybe IF, Red was still grinning at Ganache, was flabbergasted at what they saw. "Noire?! That form?!"

"Details later! First' let's get rid of that contraption!" And with that, everyone charged toward the machine.

"Destroy them, Killachine! Destroy them all!" Ganache pointed at everybody, his eyes wide with fear. The machine brought up the axe it held, and slammed it down, nearly slicing Red in two. Red jumped, running along the arm of the Killachine, and struck at the head. To Red's surprise, the blade bounced off harmlessly, and Red had to swing with almost all of his might to block an attack from the mace the machine wielded. The force of the blow smashed Red into a nearby building, debris crushing his back, along with quite a bit of his ribcage.

Red coughed, blood splattering onto the ground. _Fuck, that hurt..._ Red shakily got to his feet, and saw Neptune and Noire, attacking the mechanical monstrosity, together. Red began walking, only for the machine to throw it's axe, straight at Red. Red growled, and snapped his fingers, barely teleporting away from it in time. Red let out a sigh of relief, until he heard something coming at him from behind. Turning, Red saw the axe making it's way back to him. Red sheathed his sword, and readied his hands. As the axe neared, Red brought up his arms, and at the soonest possible opportunity, caught the axe by the blade. Red was pushed back quite a bit, before eventually stopping. Red grinned, and turned, and hurled the axe at the Killachine. It hit the machine, the axe embedding itself into it's side. Red's grin widened as the axe hit it's target.

And the grin vanished the moment the axe was ripped out, with no severe visible damage. Red growled, snapped his fingers, and brought back his fist, and punched the machine, right in the midsection. A large dent followed. Red smirked, and threw another punch. Then he jumped back, narrowly avoiding the mace the machine held. Red let out a roar as a black aura began to envelop Red's body. Then, almost faster than the human eye could follow, Red began to make a pattern of hitting the Killachine, dodging it's attack, and repeating, until the machine was barely able to move it's weapons. Finally, Red punched his way through the metal, and began ripping out whatever he could get his hands on from the inside, eventually causing the machine to explode. From what, Red couldn't tell. For all he knew, it could have just been his bad luck. Fortunately, Red had teleported before taking damage that would kill a normal human.

Red could barely stand, his eyes returning to normal, and the aura dissipating into black smoke. Red barked out a laugh. "Piece of cake..." Then Red collapsed, breathing heavily. Everyone ran to Red, concerned. Red sat up, his eyes feeling very heavy, grinning. "Killachine my ass. I've taken robots bigger and badder more times than I can count." Red coughed, blood coming up.

"Red, are you okay?! How did you get out of that explosion?!" Noire seemed completely confused.

Red chuckled. "Well, I suppose it's about time I came clean..." Then, Red began telling everyone about his abilities, his immortality, and everything else that Red deemed important.

"Wait, how old are you again?"

Red grinned. "Over 35,000. Actually, now that I think about it, I'll be 36,000 in about thirty years." Red sighed, then remember something. "Wait, where the fuck is Ganache?" Everyone looked around.

"Looks like he got away."

Red cursed under his breath. "Great..."

Noire sighed. "Well, I'll make sure he gets what he deserves next time."

Red chuckled. "Good. So, mind explaining to everyone about that form...?"

Noire glared at Red, and his response was laughing. "Fine. I'm the CPU of Lastation." Noire had turned to everyone else.

Neptune looked to be the most surprised out of everyone. "What?!"

"I had my reasons, but I'm sorry for hiding it..." Noire sighed. "But, that said, I couldn't have won without your help. Especially you, Neptune." Noire smiled warmly.

"I didn't expect Noire to be Lastation's CPU..."

"I'm as surprised as when Nep-Nep transformed."

IF shrugged. "Not me... I knew all along." Red figured as much.

"No way!"

"Seriously? Was that your best, hiding your identity?"

"Great! All that was for nothing, then!"

Red walked up to Noire, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Well, at least your secret is still hidden." Red blinked. "Oh, shit. Did I just say that aloud?"

Noire glared at Red. "Yes, you did."

Red chuckled nervously. "Oops?" Noire gut-punched Red, sending him to the floor. "Sorry..."

"That's right! You know who I am, right? Please tell me!"

"Hmm... What to do...?" Noire seemed happy.

"Come, now! I'm serious here!"

Noire grinned. "Maybe I'll tell you... For a kiss."

"Done." Neptune pulled Noire in for a quick peck on the lips. "Now tell me, please."

Noire blinked a couple times, shocked. But, after a few moments, she stared at Neptune. "I was just joking, you know..." Noire touched her lips, then sighed. "Well, if you're willing to kiss me just to know who you are, I might as well tell you. Neptune, you're the CPU of Planeptune. You're Purple Heart."


	13. Why the Fuck Did I Make This

Red yawned, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. _Dammit, why am I so tired lately?_ Red had just woken up from his impromptu nap. Maybe he was pushing himself too hard. Or maybe all those years of constant alertness were _finally_ catching up to him. Walking through the streets of Lastation, Red saw that there was considerable progress in the rebuilding from since he had fallen asleep. Exactly how long had he been out? Eh, he would ask someone once he saw them. Speaking of which, as Red tuned the corner, he spotted IF, on one of her cellphones. Red waved, somehow getting her attention. "Hey, anything happen while I was asleep?"

IF let out a sigh of relief. "Good to see that you're awake. I was honestly starting to worry about you."

Red raised a brow. "Why? I couldn't have been out for _that_ long..."

IF deadpanned. "You were asleep for about a week."

Red blinked. "That not being asleep! That's being in a fucking _coma_!" Red nearly shouted, completely flabbergasted on how he was unconscious for so long. "And nobody tried to wake me?"

IF shrugged. "We tried, but you just wouldn't wake up. But then again, you did tank an explosion..."

Red sighed. "Anyway, what's everyone else doing today?"

"Well, we decided that once you woke up, we would head back to Planeptune."

"Alright then, let's get the other girls and get going." Suddenly, Red was on the ground, with a weight on his body. Red looked down, and smiled. "Hey, Compa. Good to see you."

"Red, you're finally awake! I was so worried about you..." Compa nuzzled Red.

"Well, I'm fine. No need to get so clingy. Not that I'm complaining..." In all honesty, Red enjoyed the feeling of Compa's arms wrapped around him torso. It had been quite a while since he had felt that close to anybody.

* * *

"Wait, Nowa isn't coming with us?" Neptune asked, a disappointed look on her face.

"Don't call me Nowa! It's Noire!" Despite her probably liking the nickname Neptune had given her, Noire pretended (probably) to be angry.

"Oh, come on. You can call Neppy, if you want."

It was at that point that Red realized that Compa was frantically searching through her things. "Where is it?!"

Red raised a brow. "Uh, Compa, is everything alright?"

"No, I lost the aphrodisiac I always carry with me!"

Red blinked. "Well, that seems unfortu- Why the hell do you carry an aphrodisiac?!"

"It was required in nurse training, so after a while it became a habit!"

Red's left eye twitched, then he sighed. "Any idea where it could be?"

"No. I've been busy this past week..."

Red was about to ask why, but thought better of it. "Well, I'm sure you can just get more."

Compa sighed. "Well, with all the monsters spawning everywhere, there's really no time for that sort of stuff..."

Red blinked. "Great, so, unless we somehow find the aphrodisiac that you lost, we aren't going to get anymore any time soon?" Compa nodded. "Shit..."

* * *

After going through much bullshit, including fighting monsters that, _somehow_ , were in Lastation. Red had finally found Compa's item. Along the way, Red had wondered why she even needed it, but that required thinking. And right now, he was content with lying on the couch in Compa's apartment. Although, now that Red had gotten the energy to think, he noticed that IF and Neptune weren't around. _Hm, maybe they're on a mission from the Guild._ Not that Red cared, being too tired to move. That is, until Compa walked up to him, a glass of water in her hand.

"Hello, Red. I was wondering if you were thirsty at all."

Red looked at the tempting glass. _Ah, fuck it. I mean, what's the worst that can happen?_ Red smiled, and took the glass, taking a few gulps. And it was at that point in time that Red noticed exactly how much Compa was blushing. Then, Red realized the strange taste the water had to it. And it was familiar, almost as if... Red could feel his face heating up, and his pants felt constrictive all of a sudden. _Did she really...?_ Red was having a hard time keeping his eyes on Compa's face, suddenly more interested on her well endowed chest. "Compa... What the hell did you put in that?" Red had difficulty forcing the words out of his mouth.

Compa giggled, and straddled Red, moving her breasts to the front of Red's vision. "Oh, I'm pretty sure you already know the answer to that."

And with that, Red lost that last shred of self control. He started fondling Compa's breasts, savoring the moans that soon followed. Being over 35,000 years old, it went without saying that he had experience. And by experience, I mean that he was an absolute fucking god when it came to sex. And with that said, Compa was grinding against him, already wet and needy. Red smirked. _Looks like I still got it._ Soon after Red could tell that she was dripping, her sweater came off. Compa's skin was glistened with sweat, and she was panting from the pleasure that was stimulating her senses.

* * *

The next moment Red was able to register his surroundings, Compa had her legs wrapped around his waist, and he was teasing her entrance with the tip of his erection. Red growled, wanting so much to just fuck her, but he needed to be in control. For all he knew, this could be her first time. "Compa, are you sure you want this?"

"Red, please, I _need_ this..." And at those words, Red plunged into Compa, grunting at the tightness of her cunt. "Oh, _yes_!"

 _Holy shit, she's_ tight. Red then pulled back, leaving only the tip inside, then slammed back in. "Oh, it's been too long since I've done this..." Red muttered under his breath, his eyes closed blissfully.

Compa was panting, her eyes clouded. "Oh, yes, Red! Pound my pussy until I come!"

Red's eyes opened slightly, with a brow raised. _Oh, so she's like_ that _when it comes to sex. I love it._ Red kept thrusting, enjoying the feeling of flesh wrapping around his shaft. "Oh, I was already planning on it." Then, Red really began pounding, and muffled Compa's screams by kissing her.

After a few minutes of nonstop fucking, Red felt Compa clench down on him. After giving a few more slow thrusts, Red pulled out. After a minute or two to catch her breath, Compa frowned. "You didn't..."

Red shrugged. "Eh, it's fine. As long as you enjoyed it, that's all that matters to me." Compa pulled Red close, and kissed him. "Now, we should probably get dressed. IF and Neptune could get here at-"

That was when Red heard the door to Compa's apartment open. "Hey, Compa, Red, we're back! And we have pudding!" Red blinked.

"Shit..." Red hoped that they wouldn't enter Compa's bedroom.

But, seeing as how this story conspires against him, that's exactly what happened. And to make matters worse, IF was the one who opened the door. And so, Red and Compa just stared awkwardly at a blushing IF. "Uh..."

"Hey."

"Hi..."

Silence.

"Wanna join in?" _Why the fuck did I say that?! Author, I know I"m immortal and all, but that doesn't mean I can't feel pain!  
_

* * *

After a beating from IF, Red had explained that the situation wasn't _entirely_ his fault. And, Neptune being Neptune, she had teased Red whenever she could.

"So, what do you think you're children will look like?"

Red groaned. "Two things. One; I didn't cum inside of her, or at all, for that matter. Two; I'm sterile." Neptune blinked, and tilted her head in a confused manner. "I'm firing blanks."

That was when Neptune's brain decided to do something for once. "Oh? Oh! Oh..." Neptune looked like she regretted her words. "Sorry..."

Red sighed. "Don't be. It's actually kind of a good thing. I mean, what kind of parent would want to outlive his own kids?"

Neptune wanted to change the topic of conversation, and noticed that IF was on her phone. "Say, Iffy, whatcha doin'?"

IF glanced at Neptune. "Checking the Goddess' blog."

Red blinked. "Wait, the goddesses are bloggers?" Red really didn't see Noire was the blogging type.

"Well, just the CPU for Leanbox, Lady Green Heart, has a blog."

"Oh, well, that's kinda strange."

"I'll say. If Noire had a blog, I would tease her over her entries."

"Wow, that's low."

"Anyways, what kinda stuff does she blog about? Like pictures of her licking pizzas, or a self made fantasy poem."

Red deadpanned. "Neptune, do you honestly think that someone as important as one of the goddesses would post something as stupid as that?"

Neptune reached for IF's phone, completely ignoring Red's question. "Let me see..." Turning the screen to face her, Neptune began reading. "'Monsters have been appearing of recent. Please be wary...'" Neptune looked somewhat disappointed at the responsible message.

"See? Lady Green Heart isn't a goofer like you. Now give me back my cell." If reached for her phone, but Neptune noticed something.

"Oh, wait, Iffy! There's a hidden link here."

IF ignored her, and took her phone back. "What idiotic nonsense are you saying now...?" Then IF looked at the screen. "Wait, you're right."

Red blinked. "Wait, Neptune actually did something that was wasn't completely stupid? Well, I never thought I'd see the day."

"Hey! I can be smart! When I feel like it..."

Red rolled his eyes, and turned them to the screen of the phone. "So, we seeing what's there, or what?"

Neptune answered by opening the link. IF glared at Neptune. "Wait a minute, Nep!"

"'Welcome to my hidden page. I will be posting my private diary here.'"

Red's eyes widened. "Who in their right minds would post a _private_ diary?"

"Never mind that! We shouldn't be reading this!" IF averted her eyes from the phone screen.

"Yeah, sure. I bet you're going to check it out yourself, right?"

IF looked horrified. "M-me?! Look at L-Lady Green H-H-Heart's private life? N-no!"

Red facepalmed. "Yeah, that's _totally_ believable..."

"I-I-I-I would n-never do su-such a th-thing!"

Red deadpanned. " _Sure_..."

"Come on! Let's read it out loud!" Neptune grinned, her eyes glued to the screen. "Let's see here... 'I bought six new games. My backlog is getting too big.'"

Red blinked. "The hell...?"

IF looked equally confused. "Huh?"

Neptune's grin widened, and she kept reading. "'Can't wait to get my [Tsundere Otaku Glasses Set]' Hey! That's the limited edition released by the Otomate brand company." Red bit his tongue, holding back his laughter. _Holy shit, she's a fucking otaku. This is amazing._ "Let's see... 'Can't play 4 Goddesses Online with the server error, ;(.' So I guess Lady Green Heart is a gamer. What's 4 Goddesses Online anyway?"

"M-my image of Lady Green Heart... It's...crumbling..." Red patted IF on the back.

Neptune smiled. "Oh, did the difference between image and reality shock you, Iffy?"

Suddenly, IF perked up. "I know! The Basilicom must have made this to give her a more natural image! My Lady Green Heart would never be this much of a gamer!"

"Well, coming from a gamer like me," Neptune began. Red coughed twice, the word 'slacker' sandwiched in between. Neptune didn't seem to notice. "She smells like a full-blast gamer!"

"No!" IF was trying to hang on to that last thread of hope. "She's just trying to appeal to the public!"

"Oh, so you wanna bet and see by meeting her face-to-face?!"

"Sure. If you're wrong, then I'm taking a week's worth worth of your pudding."

Red sighed. This couldn't end well...

* * *

 **A/N: So... That was me trying my hand at a sex scene. I'm obviously not suited for that, but I'm keeping it in because I'm too lazy to rewrite a fourth of the chapter... So...yeah... Hope you enjoyed that...  
**


	14. The Land of Green Pastures

Red sighed. They were in front of the Leanbox Basilicom. Because of a bet. Of a week's worth of pudding. Main heroes, everyone.

Compa spoke first. "S-so, this is Leanbox's Basilicom?"

Red shrugged. "I hope so. Otherwise we just wasted time that we could have spent looking for the Key Fragment."

Neptune giggled. "Oh, Red. We have all the time in the world to look for those. I mean, what's the worst the Author could do?"

Red looked up in thought. "Make this a troll-fic. That, or just delete the whole story." Then Red noticed IF looking at her phone. "And what are you looking at? Please don't tell me it's the blog..."

"It just updated, so she must be in there."

Neptune laughed a bit. "No, that can't be." Red was about to ask, but remembered that Neptune was the one talking, so he just shut his mouth, and went along with it. "I'm pretty sure someone else is doing the blog entries."

"Don't ruin my image any more than you need to!"

"I'm sorry, I just didn't expect you to be so into Lady Green Heart's blog."

"Well, sorry for being a follower..."

Red rolled his eyes, smiling. "Well, I'm sure that's enough. Let's hurry on inside."

"I wouldn't mind playing with Iffy bit more, but I guess I'll do that later."

"Bow chika bow wow." Red muttered, making sure that nobody heard him.

The four entered the Basilicom, and Red realized that the inside of the Basilicoms were somewhat similar. _Weird..._ "Hello! We're here to see the CPU!"

"My oh my, what a lively group of young ladies we have here." Red cleared his throat quiet loudly, intentionally getting the attention of the old man. "Oh, sorry. I didn't quite see you there." _Even though I'm taller than you are..._ "My name is Yvoire. What brings you here today?"

"We came to see the CPU. Is she around?"

"How amazingly unfortunate. Meeting time with the CPU is done for today." Red blinked. _Are you shitting me?_

""Aw, come on. She's here, right? Just a peek. Only a little one." Neptune tried to 'negotiate', but failed.

"Neptune. Meeting time is over. We'll just come back tomorrow." Red grabbed Neptune, and began to drag her out of the Basilicom.

"What? But-"

"Butts are for sitting. Now let's go."

"What are we going to do to pass the time, then?"

Red glanced at Compa. "I know who I could do."

"Don't you mean what you could do?"

Red grinned. "Nope."

IF stared at Red. "You really have no shame when it comes to sex, do you?"

Red shrugged. "I think we could have a foursome, and I wouldn't feel any shame whatsoever."

As Red opened the exit door, he bumped into somebody, sending them to the ground. "Oh, sorry."

Red helped the person to their feet. "No, it was entirely my fault." Then Red blinked. "Strange, I swear I've heard your voice somewhere before."

The person, a woman from the sound of their voice, shrugged. "Maybe I just remind you of someone."

Red squinted, trying to peek under the woman's hood. "I don't think so..." Red sighed, and shrugged. "Whatever. It's clear you were going inside the Basilicom. I don't want to keep you here."

"Thank you." The woman smiled, and entered the Basilicom.

Red closed his eyes and sighed. _I_ know _I've heard that voice somewhere before. But where was it?_ Red opened his eyes, and sighed again. _Guess I'll have to figure that out later._ "So, what are you all going to do?"

"I heard there's a great cafe at a town nearby that serves sublime scones."

Red tilted his head in contemplation. Finally, his old habits took over. "As much as I would love having a bite, I have something important to take care of real quick."

Compa pouted. "Aww..."

Red smiled, and patted her head. "Don't worry. I'm sure I'll catch up to you. And even if I don't, IF has my phone number as a contact. On all of her phones..." Red glanced at IF, finding that small detail a little unsettling. "Anyway, you three go on ahead. I'll be fine."

"If you say so..." The girls were reluctant, but left him anyway, waving goodbye.

Red waved back, a smirk on his face. Once they were out of sight, Red's eyes narrowed. "Now that they're gone, time to find out who that woman really is." Red found a bench nearby, and sat down, waiting for the woman to leave the Basilicom. A minute or two passed before Red saw the door open, and the woman exited, with a visible frown on her face. She was busy muttering to herself, so Red was able to easily walk up to her unnoticed.

"That son of a-"

"Hello." Red greeted with a glass smile on his face. The woman yelped and fell back, landing on her behind. "Oh, sorry, I guess I startled you."

"Yes, you did. I didn't see you." The woman put on a smile, and asked, "So, is there anything I can help you with?"

Red's smile dropped. "Who are you?"

"Excuse me?" The woman now looks uncomfortable.

"I want to know where we've met before. And don't even lie about not meeting me before. I'm good with voices, and I know yours."

"Um, well, you see..."

Red glared, daring the woman to lie to him. "Yes?"

The woman sighed before standing up. "Fine. You want to know who I am? Follow me. That is, if you can keep up." The woman grinned, and a flash of white light exploded in Red's vision. Once Red was able to see again, the woman was gone.

Red growled in frustration. "Son of a bitch..." Red sighed. "Damn. Might as well catch up with the others if I can." Red began walking, before he bumped into someone, knocking the person to the ground. Again. "Huh. I wonder if this is going to be a regular thing for today." Red looked down, and nearly choked. Unlike most other people, the person, who Red could now tell clearly was a girl, was barely wearing anything that covered her top half. And her bust was quiet impressive, about the same size as Compa's. "Oh, sorry. I didn't see you there."

"No, it's fine." The girl got back up, and began to walk away.

"Hey, I have a quick question. You wouldn't have happened to see my friends, would you? One of them has purple hair-"

The girl gasped. "You don't mean Neptune, do you?"

Red blinked. "Wait, you know her?"

"Well, I know a different her." Red blinked, and tilted his head in confusion. "I'm from a different world."

"Oh, you too?" _Shit. I wasn't supposed to say that._

"You met someone from a different world before?"

Red blinked. "Yeah. MAGES. was her name. She was saying something about Doc P. She was weird." That was when Red remembered why he was talking to the girl in the first place. "So, you've seen Neptune?"

"Oh, right. She asked for directions. Just head south. I'm sure you'll be able to catch up with her."

"Thanks... Oh, I don't think I got your name."

"I'm Tekken."

Red's left eye twitched. _You have to be shitting me..._ "Well, it's nice to meet you Tekken. I'll be on my way now. Take care."

"You too."

* * *

Red sighed, his feet aching. He had been walking for quiet some time, and he was starting to get tired. "God damn... I didn't think the town would be this far away..." Suddenly, Red bumped into someone, knocking them to the ground. For the third time. "For the love of... Sorry, didn't see you there."

"No, it's fine. I was in a hurry." The person stood up, and began to jog away, chuckling a bit.

"That was weird." Red continued walking for a while, before he heard the sounds of fighting. "Great. And here I was, hoping to catch up to them before Neptune did anything stupid." Red sighed, and began running. What he saw was not very pretty. Neptune, in her transformed state, was pinned beneath a monster, trying her best to shake it off. IF and Compa were both in similar positions. Red just stared for a few moments, the girls too preoccupied with their own problems. Red shook his head, and snapped his fingers, teleporting to the monster that was grabbing a hold of Compa's weapon. Red then proceeded to punch into the monster's back, and yank it away from Compa. "Jeez, I'm away for ten minutes, and you three are practically getting destroyed. You really shouldn't depend on me like that. After all, I won't be around forever."

"But, Red, you said you were immortal..." Compa was, as almost always, slow to realize that he was not there a minute ago.

"Yeah..." Red sighed, then jumped towards IF, who was trying with all of her might to get some breathing room, as she was currently fighting two monsters at once. "Need some help?"

IF glanced at Red. "I would appreciate it very much!"

Red smirked, grabbed on of the monsters by the head, and proceeded to pop it like a grape. "Well, that's my share done. Honestly, it's kinda pathetic."

"Well sorry for not being overpowered!" IF shouted, slashing at the monster that was still alive.

Red chuckled. "Yeah, that certainly helps in fights. But, I'm nowhere near invincible. After all, this body can only handle as much as any other human, and it takes some time to heal." Red calmly walked over to Neptune, lifted the monster by the back of the neck, and ripped its head off. "So, how did this happen?" Red offered Neptune a hand, helping her to her feet.

"Someone came by, preaching about some Overlord, gives us a bunch of junk, sneaked a few discs in all the stuff, and suddenly monsters." Neptune pointed to the discs.

"Well, that's good to know." Red walked over to the discs, and crushed them one by one. "So, no more immediate problems. Good." Then Red clapped his hands together. "So, how long until we get to that town?"

Neptune looked at a map, and laughed awkwardly. "About an hour."

Red snatched the map out of Neptune's hand, and looked at it intensely. "Son of a bitch..."

* * *

The rest of the day had been uneventful, and now Red was looking up at the night sky. _I wonder how much more time I have left in this universe..._

 _ **"Who knows? Just make sure you treasure it."**_ Red sighed as he heard the voice of his former tormentor. _  
_

 _Broken, I really don't need life lessons form someone like_ you.

 ** _"Hey, I'm just telling you what you should do. I'm not that monster anymore."_**

 _No, but I still have the demon inside..._

 ** _"Like Jekyll and Hyde, right?"_**

 _The only difference between me and my demon is that I know when I cross the line. Him, he just wants to bathe in blood. If I could, I would rip him out of my soul. Too bad that's not an option..._

 ** _"Yeah. That would really makes things simple. And you wouldn't need me anymore."_**

 _Hey, don't say things like that. You overcame your demons. If anything, I'm the burden. I'm still fighting my own battle. And I don't know if I'm winning or not.  
_

 ** _"Then keep fighting until the demon can't fight any longer."_**

 _If only it were that simple..._ Red sighed, and decided to try to get some sleep.


	15. Preventing a Flag While Raising Another

As Red and his friends stood in front of the Basilicom, a sense of dread washed over him. "Hey, does anyone else have a bad feeling about this?"

Neptune giggled. "Red, I'm sure that's just your paranoia acting up."

Red shrugged. "I swear, if someone gets hurt, I'm going to say 'I told you so.'" And so, the party stepped inside.

* * *

"Yahoo! Hey, Mr. Evilwhatever, we're back!"

Red stared at Neptune for a minute. "Already a day, and you're fucking his name up tremendously..."

Yvoire walked toward them, his left brow twitching a bit. "Tremendously indeed..." Yvoire coughed into his hand, gaining the attention of the party. "Hello again. It's good to see such innocent girls here." Red coughed. "And someone who can be counted on."

Red smirked. "Well, I don't know about that. I can be pretty unreliable sometimes. Anyway, about our meeting with Lady Green Heart..."

"Right. It pains me to say this, but she currently out at the moment, and she is not expected to return until nightfall."

Red sighed. "Great. First that Momus messenger, now this..."

Yvoire's eyes widened. "Did you say Momus?"

Red raised a brow. "Yeah, why? You know anything about it?"

Yvoire shook his head. "Only that his influence is spreading. But, about that messenger..."

Red sighed. "I wasn't there when he showed up, but apparently, he tried to recruit my friends, and slipped in a few Enemy Discs with the merchandise."

Yvoire raised a brow. "Enemy Discs?"

Red nodded. "They spawn all kinds of monsters as long as they're intact. And they're the reason of monsters popping up in the first place. So, as long as they exist, monsters are just going to keep coming."

"That is unsettling..."

"Indeed. I swear, once I find that Momus, I'm going to utterly annihilate him." Red ground his teeth together, imagining meeting the Overlord, and killing him. Red sighed. "Sorry. I tend to get very violent when someone I care about is threatened is any sort of way. Especially if they're hurt." Yvoire seemed to want to say something. "Um, is something bothering you?"

"Hm? Oh, forgive me. I was just thinking about something... Say, how would you all like to have dinner here?"

Everyone's eyes widened. "Wait, what?" Red blinked a few times. "You're serious?" Yvoire nodded. "Question. Is Lady Green Heart going to be attending?"

"We will have to wait and see."

"Why invite us out of the blue like that?"

"Think of it as my thanks for telling me such valuable information."

"Well, that's certainly a pleasant surprise. When should we get here?"

"A little after sundown. Don't be late."

"Well, thanks for inviting us. We won't make you regret this decision." Red glanced at Neptune. "Trust me." And with that, Red and his friends began walking out of the Basilicom.

That is, until Yvoire spoke. "Excuse me, Red. May I have a word with you? In private."

Red looked back, and sighed. "I guess it won't hurt. You girls go on ahead. I'm sure this won't take long." Red watched the girls leave the Basilicom, and then turned to face Yvoire. "Now, what is it you want?"

"Well, I've been wondering something..."

"Go ahead."

"How long have you been with those girls?"

Red scratched the back of his head. "Ever since Neptune lost her memories."

"That girl lost her memories?"

Red nodded. "Yeah. We learned who she is, but it's a little hard to believe. Especially with her personality."

"And who is she exactly?"

Red sighed. "I don't think I should be telling you this, but I can tell your trustworthy. She...is Planeptune's CPU. She is Lady Purple Heart."

"What?!" Yvoire looked flabbergasted. "But, then..."

Red raised a brow. "What's wrong?"

Yvoire put a hand on Red's shoulder. "I'm glad you told me this. If you hadn't, I would have made a terrible mistake. Thank you." Yvoire then pulled out a vial, filled with purple, bubbling liquid. "Take this, and dispose of it. I will need some time to think about what I would have done."

"Right. Oh, and make sure not to tell anybody about Neptune, even though I'm sure Green Heart might recognize her."

"Of course."

Red looked at the vial, and stuffed it inside his coat. _Never know when this might come in handy._ "Thanks."

"Oh, and one last thing. I might have lied about Lady Green Heart being gone. If you want, you can go and talk to her."

Red tilted his head, thinking. "Hm. I just might have to take up that offer." _I can find out which one she is. Probably the one that threw that damn spear at me..._

"Very well. Follow me." Yvoire began walking through the Basilicom. "But, there is something that I should tell you. She is...quite different from what people would usually expect from a CPU."

"So was Neptune. I'm sure that it's not that bad."

"You might change your mind once you see the inside of her room..." Yvoire said, knocking on a door. "My Lady, you have a visitor."

"Send him in." A woman's voice was heard behind the door.

"Just...don't gawk too much." Yvoire opened the door, and Red stepped inside. And his eyes widened. _Holy fucking shit._ The walls were lined with posters, the shelves with figures.

Red turned to look at Yvoire, but the door had been hastily closed. Red turned again, and looked around the room, finding a blond woman in a chair, in front of a computer screen. "Um, excuse me?"

"Just a second. I need to get to a safe zone." After a minute, the woman turned her chair around and looked at Red, her eyes widening for half a second. "Oh, you're alive."

Red would have felt insulted, if he had heard what the woman said. But his attention was not where it should have been. _Jesus, those things are massive. Are they even natural?_ Red felt his face heat up. He snapped his gaze up, "I'm sorry, did you say something?"

"You're talking to someone who almost killed you, and you're thinking about that kind of thing."

"...I'm sorry, what?" Red's head snapped up. _They cannot be natural. I mean, they're just too big._

"As flattering as it is for you be speechless, I'm afraid that you're taking up time that I could be using to be grinding."

"One question. Are those real?" _Shit, why in the name of all that is holy did I say that?! Fuck!_

"Excuse me?" The woman's eye twitched.

"I mean, they're just so _big_. They have to be fake."

"I can assure you that these," The woman puffed out her chest to emphasize, "Are indeed completely natural."

"Bullshit! There is no possible way that those are natural! Those things are almost as big as your damn head!" Red pointed at the breasts for emphasis.

"If you think that they aren't natural, why don't you see for yourself?" The woman puffed her chest out again. "Feel them."

 _This is officially my favorite universe._ "Fine." Red walked over to the woman, and planted a hand on each breast. Red squeezed, and then blinked. _No._ Red began to fondle the mountains of flesh quite thoroughly, completely oblivious to exactly how skilled his hands were. The woman was blushing like mad, stifling moans, her breath ragged. _No fucking way. These things are real?! How?! But they're so damn big! How?!_

Red sighed, about to remove his hands, but they were stopped. "Please...more..." The woman was looking at Red with pleading eyes.

Red gulped. _Dammit, why do I have to be such a god when it comes to sex?_ "As you wish..." Red resumed his fondling. _If I get another harem, this will be the best universe I've ever been to._ Then, there was knocking on the door. Both Red and the woman snapped their eyes to the door, then separated.

"Who is it?" The woman tried her best to steady her breath, her face completely red.

"It's Yvoire. I just wanted to tell you that we'll be expecting guests for dinner tonight. Three girls and one man."

"Thank you for telling me this. Make sure to tell the cooking staff to prepare something special."

"As you wish... Um, my Lady, is everything okay in there? You sound a little out of breath."

"Oh, don't worry about me, just a little excited."

"Very well. I'll be off now." The two heard the footsteps fade away, Red letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding in.

"Well, as much as I absolutely _loved_ fondling those mountains, I have to get going now. Bye." Red quickly exited the room, hoping to leave the Basilicom as soon as he could.

* * *

Red sighed as he entered the room that his friends were staying in. "Sorry for taking so long. Yvoire had some interesting things to talk about." _That, and I felt up the CPU... Yeah, life's pretty good right now._

"Red, are you okay? You look a little out of breath."

"No, I'm fine. Just jogged here. No big deal..." Red didn't like lying to his friends, but it was better than telling the truth. Especially when the truth involved him fondling a woman's breasts.

The girls stared at Red for a minute. Then Neptune spoke up. "You're not lying to us, right? You sure you didn't talk to Green Heart?"

"W-what? No! Of course not." Red wasn't great at lying when someone hit the nail on the head.

"Aha! What did you two talk about?"

"I told you, I didn't meet her!"

"Oh, come on. We won't mind." Neptune made a puppy face.

"God dammit. Fine! You win! Just stop that face!" Neptune jumped in joy of her victory.

"So, what did you two do together?"

Red blushed thinking about it. "Well, we kinda got a little close..."

IF blinked, then glared at Red. "How close?"

"I may or may not have fondled her boobs..." The next thing Red knew, he was on the ground, with IF on top of him, attempting to strangle him.

"How dare you! You have no right to-" Red snapped his fingers, and he was suddenly on the bed, with an annoyed expression on his face.

"Two things. First; she told me to, because I questioned their naturalness. Second; she was enjoying the fuck out of it. In fact, she nearly came. So if you want to blame me for anything, use that." Suddenly, Red was tackled off of the bed, onto the floor.

Again, IF was on top of him, trying to crush his windpipe. "How _dare_ you defile her like that! I should-" Red sighed, rolled his eyes, and, deciding that he was not in the mood for his friend's bullshit, released enough of his energy to the point where it felt like gravity had been doubled. IF was having trouble keeping her body off of Red's, Compa was stuck to the bed, whimpering, and Neptune was having trouble standing.

Red rolled IF off of him, stood up, and brought his energy back to the point where it wouldn't affect his friends. "IF. I am going to say this _once._ I am not in the mood for friendly bullshit. I get that you're sort of obsessed with Green Heart. But next time you pull this kind of shit on me, one of us is going to get knocked the fuck out. And it sure as shit ain't gonna be me. Got it?" IF nodded in fear. Red sighed in frustration. "Look, I'm sorry that I did that. But as I said, I'm not in the mood to deal with bullshit right now. In fact, I'm going for a walk. I'll be gone for a few hours. See ya later." And with that said, Red left for his walk.


	16. Envy And Lust

Red practically stomped his way through Leanbox. As he had no clear destination in mind, Red had left his direction up to fate, and followed the wind. Along the way, he bumped into quite a few monsters. But, as he had stated to his friends, he was not in the mood for bullshit, so all he did was let out enough energy to where the monsters' bodies would just splatter against the ground. Indeed, Red was a person you would not want to piss off, unless you had a death wish. Red was feeling regret and guilt. Regret because of what he did with Green Heart. Guilt because he had betrayed his friend, IF. He had gone and felt up the person she had revered most. It was a giant dick move. _God dammit, why am I such a piece of shit? Oh yeah, because of my_ _pathetic excuse of a father._ Just at the mere thought of the bastard, Red unconsciously let out so much energy that the earth began to form large cracks in it. Red sighed, and reined in hos emotions, and looked at the clear sky, contemplating on whether for not to attend the dinner at the Basilicom. On one hand, if he skipped out, his friends would think he was avoiding them.

But on the other, if he did attend, he had no doubt that just the sight of Red and Green Heart in the same room would set IF off. Just the thought of the result gave Red a headache. And the worst part was that Red could have avoided the whole situation by just keeping his eyes away from those two mountains. _Why the fuck does this universe have to have so many women?_ Red had only encountered three other males that were of some importance to Red's current adventure. And at least one of them was a complete and utter monster. Red's fist clenched when he remembered Ganache. The bastard had let loose that damned robot on the city, and trapped him and his friends, and while he didn't think that the abandoned place would kill them, he had trapped them anyway, just to buy time. Red didn't know about the Singe fellow, and Yvoire was actually someone Red liked as a person, although, from what he had said to Red, he had pieced together that he had planned to kill Neptune. But once he learned her true identity, he immediately backed away from that idea. And it was a good thing too, because if he had tried to go through with it, Red would have skinned him alive.

That was when Red heard something that sounded suspiciously like a roar. Red sighed, walking toward the roar, looking for anything that would keep his mind preoccupied. Red spotted a remote town, and it looked like it was being attacked by a hoard of monsters. At this point, Red had two options. The first one was to just pay no mind to the town, and not deal with more bullshit. The second option was to act like a human being. Red sighed, knowing that he would rather go through more trouble that be like his father. Red began running, when he noticed bodies getting thrown away from the town. Red snapped his fingers, and teleported to the edge of the town. It was then that he was a familiar face, Tekken. _God dammit, why does her name have to be the_ exact _name of a video game series?_

 ** _"In case you haven't noticed, this entire universe is made up of video games._ _"_**

 _The fuck are you talking about?"  
_

 ** _"Christ... Lastation; Playstation. Leanbox; Xbox. Lowee; Wii."_**

 _Oh, well shit. But what about Planeptune?  
_

 ** _"Maybe some sort of cancelled console? I don't fucking know. Anyway, help the poor woman. It looks like she's at her limit."_**

Red sighed. "Guess it's show time." Red snapped his fingers, teleported to the nearest monster, and punched a hole through it. He then threw the body at a monster that was about to attack Tekken. Then Red kicked another monster, tearing its flesh off. Red grinned. It had been too long since he had had a satisfying kill. And so it went on, Red teleporting from monster to monster, punching or kicking it to oblivion. By the time Red had killed the last monster, he was covered in blood, with a demonic grin on his face, lightly chuckling. "God damn, that felt _great_." Red stretched, enjoying the feeling. Red looked around, assessing the damage done to the town. Luckily, Tekken had done a pretty good job of keeping the monsters occupied. Red walked over to the exhausted woman, and offered her a hand up. She looked at the blood covered hand, before reluctantly taking it. "Hello again."

Tekken blinked a few times. "H-hi..."

Red looked down, and shrugged. "Sorry about being covered in viscera. But, when every punch you throw takes off chunks, what can you do?"

"Um, I think you should leave..."

Red blinked. "Why? Wait, no, you're right." Red snapped his fingers, and teleported to the nearest stream he remembered coming across. He washed off the blood from his clothes, and from himself. _God damn, I really let loose back there._ Red sighed, then looked at the sun. It was close to the horizon. His friends would probably be wondering where he is. Red snapped his fingers, and teleported to the town they were staying in. Red walked throughout town, trying to find his friends. After half an hour, Red sighed, and began walking to the Basilicom. Maybe they were already there."

* * *

Red was about to open the door to enter the Basilicom, when he heard a shout. "Red!" Red turned around, and saw Neptune waving happily, along with Compa, while IF glared at him. _Great. Well, this is going to be one of the most awkward moments of my life._

Red waited for his friends to get to him before he opened the door. "Well, let's hope the food is good, or this is going to be a waste of my time."

IF scoffed. "Yeah, I'm sure that food is what you're thinking about..."

Red growled. "IF, don't you even start with that. I was a heat of the moment thing, and it's behind me. Okay? I'm not trying to sleep with her or anything. So chill the fuck out." Red sighed. _Maybe coming here was a bad idea after all..._

"Welcome! I'm so glad you could make it." Yvoire greeted them, a smile on his face. "I'm happy to announce that Lady Green Heart will be dining with you as well, so be sure to make the most of this honor." Red glanced a IF, but didn't notice any reaction. _God, how long is she going to be hung up on that?_

"Well, I'm just glad that we get free food." Neptune grinned.

Red sighed, then looked at Yvoire with an apologetic face. "Yeah, she's not exactly what you would expect from someone like her..." That was when the doors opened to the dining room. Yes, an entire room, dedicated to eating. Fucking genius. Anyway, at the very end of a somewhat long table, sat Green Heart, who was drinking from her glass. Red blushed as soon as he saw her, and she did the same, smiling pleasantly at him, and waving slightly. _Dammit, why must I be so damn skilled in the art of lovemaking?_

"Hello everyone. Thank you for joining me tonight." Green Heart winked at Red. "I see that that quite the collection of cuties have arrived."

Red coughed uncomfortably. "Right..." IF 'accidentally' stepped on his foot. Red shot her a warning glance.

IF glared at him, and the two glared at each other for a minute, before IF broke the eye contact. "Well, I'm just glad that I could be here." _More like you're trying to make sure nothing happens between the two of us._

"I'm sure you are. Well, sit. Sit. And dig in. My staff prepared this especially for you. So you better not let it go to waste." The party sat down, with Red sitting right across from IF.

Red rolled his eyes. "Okay, for the last time, IF. I didn't mean for it to happen."

IF glared at him. "Oh, I'm sure."

Green Heart looked between IF and Red, before speaking. "Um, excuse me. Is something the matter?"

Red sighed. "Oh, it's nothing. She's just jealous that the two of us got to talk, when she's so devoted to you." Red blushed as he recalled the memory. _God damned libido._ "Yeah, she didn't really take it too well." _Considering she tried to kill me and all._

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. If you want, I could help the both of you talk about it."

Red sighed. "Yeah, that might help." Then Red blinked. _Oh, wait... Oh sweet merciful god, no..._ "IF, what do you think?"

"Well, as long as I get to spend some time with her." Red's eye twitched. _Oh, this is going where I think it is, isn't it?_

Green Heart grinned. "Wonderful!" _This is totally going where I think it is. Normally, this would be great. But I'm not really in the mood for a three-way right now. Especially when one of the woman I'm fucking is pissed at me._

 ** _"Well... Actually, I got nothing. Good luck."_**

 _What the fuck?!_ Red internally sighed as he ate the amazing food that was given to him, trying not to think about what he would be doing in a little while.

* * *

Red held back a sigh. The dinner had gone well, with nothing of importance happening, aside from Neptune eating too much, which, in all honesty, wasn't a surprise to Red. Currently, Red, IF, and Green Heart were walking through the Basilicom, and from what Red could remember, they were heading to Green Heart's room. _God help me..._

The only thing more uncomfortable than the fact that Red knew what was going to happen next, was IF glaring holes into him. Red cleared his throat. "So, Green Heart, when you said you could help us talk things out..."

Green Heart giggled. "Oh, I can assure you both, we'll be doing a little bit more than talking."

Red's eye twitched. _Here's to hoping that IF won't be scarred by this._ "Great..." Green Heart opened the door, and once Red and IF were inside, closed and locked it.

"So, when did this envy start?"

"Almost as soon as I told her about what he did earlier today."

"Hm, did you tell her everything?" There was a glint of something when she asked.

Red nodded, blushing a bit. "Pretty much."

Green Heart grinned. "That makes this whole thing so much easier." Green Heart then walked over to Red, and removed his scarf, coat, and hat. "I hope that's a bit more comfortable." Then Green Heart leaned in until Red could hear her breathing, before whispering. "This will make stripping you later so much more easier. I hope you're looking forward to it." Red shuddered. _Oh god, why me?_ Red only nodded. "Good." Then Green Heart turned around, smiling at IF. "Now, I want to ask something very important."

IF looked a bit uncomfortable. "Um, sure. Go ahead."

Green Heart tilted her head slightly. "Who exactly are you jealous of?"

Red's and IF's eyes widened. Red opened his mouth, but quickly shut it. He wanted to see where this would lead to. IF blushed. "U-um, well y-you see..." She looked at Red with pleading eyes. Red grinned sadistically, and shook his head. He wanted a clear answer. _Oh god, this is going to be so much fun..._ IF sighed, and cleared her throat, the blush still adorning her face. "I..."

* * *

 **AN: Cliffhanger. Because I can. Also, thanks for the chapter title. God knows I wouldn't have been able to come up with it myself. And next chapter starts with a special something. Seeya!  
**


	17. Filler

IF paused, her blush intensifying. "I guess I'm jealous of both of you..." Red's grin widened, somehow. _Oh, this is going to be fucking_ amazing.

Green Heart raised a brow. "Oh? Care to explain?"

IF gulped. "Well, it's complicated. I'm jealous of Red because he got to..." IF looked at the floor. Red blushed at the memory. "And I'm jealous of you because... It's been a while for me..."

Red blinked, and his grin dropped like a stone. "Wait, you're saying that you're not a virgin?"

IF glared at him, while Green Heart frowned. "Of course not! It's just that there aren't many guys around, and the ones that are don't find me attractive."

Red frowned. "Then they must have been pretty damn blind." Red blushed when he realized he had said that aloud.

IF smiled softly. "You're just saying that..."

Red chuckled a bit. "It's also true." IF looked at her feet in embarrassment. "I'm sure Green Heart can agree with that."

Green Heart giggled. "Oh, you can count on that. And another thing; I would prefer it if you both called me Vert from now on."

Red shrugged. "Sure, don't see any reason not to." Red glanced at IF, and saw that she was beyond excited. _God dammit..._ "Hey, Iffy, you okay over there? You look like you're about to-" Red didn't even get to finish his sentence before If dropped to the floor, unconscious. "Never mind."

Vert looked at IF in worry. "Is she going to be okay?" Red shrugged, walked over, picked IF up, and carried her over to the bed, gently laying her down. "Is she usually like that?"

"Nope. This is the first time she's been like this." Red grinned. "I kinda like it. Oh, just for clarification; we're having a three-way, right?"

Vert smiled. "Of course. What better to resolve this conflict between friends?" Red raised a brow. "You get to patch things up with her, she gets to experience you, and I get to feel satisfied."

"Wait, what was that last part?"

Vert grinned. "Well, ever since earlier, I've been trying to get off." Vert began to take off her dress, her cheeks flushed. Once she was in only her undergarments, Red saw just how wet she was. "But, unfortunately for me, nothing really worked. Whenever I came, I always wanted more." Vert pressed her body against Red's. Vert began to pant, her eyes full of lust. "Please, Red. Take me. Fuck me so hard that I won't be ale to walk right for a week."

Red felt his face heat up the moment Vert pressed herself against him. He sighed. "Well... When you put it so bluntly, how can I say no?" As soon as the words left Red's mouth, Vert hooked her arms around Red's neck, and began to lustfully kiss him. This took Red by surprise, but only for a moment, and he soon returned the lustful kiss. As the two made out, Vert began to undo Red's pants, eagerly diving a hand inside, and began to stroke him. In turn, Red began to remove Vert's bra, wanting to see the holy mountains of flesh in all of their glory. _If I could get a tit-job from her, I would be the happiest I've been in my entire life._ Red's member stiffened quickly, and Vert's bra dropped. Red broke the kiss, panting for breath, and gazed hungrily at Vert. Vert licked her lips, and dropped to her knees, pushing Red down onto the bed, pulling his pants down, along with his underwear.

Once Vert had her eyes on her prize, she grinned. "Oh, it's absolutely _perfect_." And she began to drag her tongue along its length, causing Red to shiver with pleasure.

Red grinned a bit. "Glad you think s-oh!" Vert wrapped her mouth around the tip, and began to swirl her tongue around it. "Oh, yeah... It's been a while since I've felt that." Red tilted his head back, a blissful smile on his face.

"Ugh..." Red looked over his shoulder, and saw that IF was beginning to wake up. "Wha... Where am I...?" IF sat up, and looked around, and once her eyes landed on Red, she blinked. "Oh yeah... What happened after I passed out?"

Red chuckled awkwardly. "Well you see... Apparently Vert's been horny all day, and since I haven't been around, she's hasn't been satisfied... And now she has her head in between my legs..."

"What?!" IF nearly shouted, and crawled to Red, and looked over his shoulder, seeing that Vert was now bobbing her head along Red's member. Red nearly laughed at how hard IF blushed. "Um..."

Red chuckled a bit. "Sorry about getting my turn first."

IF blinked, and Red licked his lips. "Wait, what are you-" The rest of If's sentence was ended quickly once Red planted his lips on hers, which earned a small muffled shriek of surprise. That was all Red needed to snake his tongue into IF's mouth, exploring every orifice, and completely dominate the girl's tongue. After awhile, Red parted for oxygen, leaving a thin trail of saliva between the mouths of the two. IF panted, her eyes unfocused. "T-that was..."

Red grinned. "Yes?"

" _Amazing._ " That was when Vert removed Red's member from her mouth with an audible pop.

"Well, if you think that was amazing, just wait until you get to taste him. I'm practically addicted already." Vert licked the tip, along with the bead of pre-cum that had formed. "Why don't you give it a try?"

IF's eyes widened, and her blush somehow got even worse. But she still seemed to be giving the idea some serious thought. After a minute, she got off the bed, and joined Vert on the floor. "W-what do you want me to do?" She looked up at Red in expectance.

Red's grin turned into a warm smile. For now , just give it a few licks." IF gave him a slow lick from base to tip. Red groaned, and pat IF on the head. "Just like that, that's good..."

Vert grinned, and stripped IF from her jacket. "Oh, we are going to have so much fun together. I can't wait to taste the essence of the both of you." Vert licked IF's earlobe, and IF took the tip of Red's member into her mouth, and began to gently suckle, while Vert had snaked a hand under IF'S shorts. IF moaned around Red's member. Red groaned at the sensation, and unconsciously thrust his hips, burying more of his length into IF'S mouth.

"Oh, sweet merciful... That feels like heaven." Red laid his hand on IF's head, and began to stroke her hair. "Good girl... I can't believe that you haven't done this in a while." Red began to pant, as he could felt himself getting close and close to release. "Iffy, I'm gonna..." Red grunted just before he came. IF'S eyes widened, and she worked to swallow as much as she could. Unfortunately, seeing as how when Red had sex with Compa, he didn't cum, it was safe to say that he was still pent up, and once he had started, it felt like eternity before he was able to stop. Panting, Red opened his eyes, and watched IF slide her mouth off of his length, cum sliding down her chin, and grinned when he saw her swallow what was left in her mouth. Red chuckled a bit, brought IF up to the bed, and kissed her again, not really minding the taste of his seed. IF moaned, a blissful smile on her face. Red pulled back, with a mischievous grin on his face. "I have a question for you."

"W-what is it?"

"Have you ever tried anal?"

* * *

Red woke up the next morning feeling amazing. He looked down, and saw Vert and IF hugging him in their sleep. Red smiled, wishing that the moment could last forever. But a knock from the door brought him back to reality. "My Lady, are you feeling okay? It's three in the afternoon, and you still haven't had any food."

Red sighed, and closed his eyes, trying to block out the noise. _God dammit, Yvoire._ Red heard and felt Vert stir, slowly waking up. "Huh? What time is it...?" Red cracked one eye open, and saw Vert raise her had groggily, and looked around for a few moments. Then she groaned, and slowly left the bed, and made her way to the door. She opened it just enough to see Yvoire. "Yvoire, good morning."

"My Lady, did you just wake up?!"

"Yes. I had a...rough night."

"And by that, you mean...?"

"Well, let's just say that I won't exactly be walking correctly when I leave my room." Silence. "Well, if there isn't anything that requires my immediate attention, I'll be getting dressed now." And with that, she closed the door.

Red chuckled a bit as he opened his eyes. "Really? I thought a CPU would be more responsible."

"Oh, Red. I didn't know you were awake."

Red grinned. "Well, I thought that I would let you sleep for a while. But, seeing as how it's three in the afternoon, I'm sure that you should get dressed."

"Aw... Can't I at least snuggle with you for a little longer?" Vert tilted her head to the side, giving hm puppy eyes.

Red sighed. "Fine. But only for a few minutes."

"Yay!" Then, faster than Red could follow, Vert jumped into the bed, and began nuzzling Red's chest. "Mmm... I wish we could stay like this forever."

Red smied. "Me too..."

A few minutes later, IF began to stir. "Ugh... why am I so sore?"

Red chuckled. "Yeah, women usually have that whenever I fuck them in the ass for the first time."

IF opened her eyes and tried to glare at Red. "So you've done that before?"

Red chuckled again. "Of course I have." That was when a quiet buzz came from Red's coat. Red snapped his fingers, and his phone appeared in his hand. Red looked at the number and answered. "Hello?"

"Red, where are you? You're not still at the Basilicom, are you?" The voice at the other end belonged to Neptune.

"Um...maybe?" Red coughed awkwardly.

"Red, you didn't do the do with Green Heart, did you?"

"Maybe... And I sure didn't have sex with Iffy either..."

* * *

Red and IF left the Basilicom a few minutes minutes later. But someone decided to tag along. "So, Red, Iffy, where are we going?"

Red glanced at Vert. "Well, we were going to meet up with our friends, and hopefully see if we could find any leads on where the next Key Fragment could possibly." Red sighed. "And I was hoping to see if I could train Neptune. But, knowing her, she'll probably find some kind of way out of it."

"Key Fragment?" Vert tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"Neptune has our only piece right now. So you'll see why it looks like when you see her."

* * *

Red sighed before he opened the door. "Hey, we're back." Then Red was tackled to the floor. "I swear, you're so needy." Red smiled as Compa , hugged him with all her strength. "Okay, let me up. Neptune and I need to have a talk."

Neptune blinked. "What about?"

Red sighed yet again. "About your experience with a sword. Tell me, how many monsters have you killed?"

"A lot."

"And how many people have you fought against?"

"Two."

"Exactly. You've only gone against two opponents that can think better than you. Even though you've done a good job of keeping them on their toes, that's about the extent of your skill."

"What exactly are you getting at?"

"Neptune, I'm going to whip you into shape enough to where you could stand on equal ground with me when it comes to swordplay. So get ready for hell."


	18. More Filler

Red and Neptune were standing in a field. _Perfect._ "So, Red, what am I going to learn about? Counters? Parries?" Neptune brought out her sword, and began swinging blindly.

Red chuckled. "No. For our first lesson..." Red unsheathed one of his swords, and tossed it a few feet away from Neptune. "You are going to pick that sword up, and you are going to swing it."

Neptune blinked. "What? You're joking, right?" Red just unsheathed his other sword. "Oh man, I thought this was going to be fun..." Neptune sighed as she bent down and grabbed Red's sword with a single hand, and attempted to lift it. "...Huh?" The sword didn't move a centimeter. Neptune tried again, only for the same result to happen. "What the..." Neptune let go of the sword, gripped it with both hands, and managed to lift the sword an inch, before it fell back down. "Red, how can you expect me to-" Red snapped his fingers, and pressed his sword against Neptune's throat, taking care not to draw any blood.

"Because, if you can't pick it up, then you are going to die once we fight that old lady again. Now, if you can't pick up that sword within two hours, then I'll let you use your own blade to fight me." Then Red brought his sword back to its sheath. "Wake me up if you manage to pick the damn thing up." Red sighed as he laid down, yanked the brim of his hat over his eyes, and slowly began to drift off to sleep.

* * *

"Red, wake up!" Neptune's voice brought Red back to reality.

"What, is two hours up already?" Red brought his hat back into place, and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. "No... she shouldn't be able to do that this early..." In her hands, Neptune held Red's sword. Although Red could tell that she was struggling to keep it off the ground, she was still lifting it. Red grinned. _Well, this won't take as long as I thought it would._ "Good, now, give it a swing if you can." Neptune nodded before bringing the sword back, and, very slowly, swung. Of course, seeing as how the sword weighed more than it looked, Neptune ended up falling over. Right onto Red.

"Sorry..." Neptune began to move off of Red, but Red stopped her. "Uh, Red..?" Red began to take a good look at Neptune, realizing just how cute she was. "Red, this is getting a bit awkward..."

Red chuckled. "Have I ever told you how adorable you are?" Neptune blushed a bit, and shook her head. "Well, you're fucking adorable." Then Red sighed. "Okay then. That's enough training for today."

"What?! But I'm barely able to swing this sword!"

Red grinned. "Exactly. The fact that you can even pick it up is astonishing."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Whenever I taught someone to use a sword properly, the normal amount of time it took for them to pick up the sword was around three weeks. The earliest was six days." Neptune blinked.

"So? I'm probably just stronger than those guys."

"That would be the case, if the sword actually weighed anything."

"What?"

"You see, that sword is made of a certain mineral. It won't let just anybody pick it up, especially since the mineral is indestructible. You have to have no unjust intentions when you pick that stuff up."

"So, all those times you use your fists instead of your sword...?"

"Hm? Oh, my fists just do more damage. I mean, the swords are unbreakable, but that doesn't mean that they'll slice through anything. Remember the...Killachine...? God, I still can't believe how stupid that name is..." That was when Red realized that Neptune was still on top of him. Not that he was complaining. "So, if you would kindly me off of me, you can do whatever the fuck you want for the rest of the day."

"Nah, I'm comfy now." Neptune smiled as she laid her bead on Red's chest,closing her eyes. "G'night." Then Neptune's breathing began to steady.

"Neptune?" Red sighed when he didn't get a response. "Great..." Red closed his eyes, and decided to get some more sleep. "Good night..."

* * *

Red opened his eyes, and blinked a few times before he looked down, smiling as he looked at Neptune's peaceful expression. _Dammit, Neptune, why do you have to be so fucking cute..?_ Red gently nudged Neptune, hoping to wake her. "Neptune, time to get up..."

Neptune groaned, nuzzling Red's chest. "Five more minutes..."

Red rolled his eyes. "No, now." Red then stood, letting Neptune fall to the ground with a yelp. "Now, go do something productive for once."

"Oh, come on! We barely did anything today! Teach me something cool!"

Red sighed. "You know what? Fine. I guess since you're actually able to pick up the sword, you might as well get a feel for it." Red helped Neptune to her feet. "Now, we are going to spar until you are able to wield that sword just like any other. Okay?"

"Okay!" Red chuckled at Neptune's eagerness.

"Good. Now then, get ready for a bad time." Red unsheathed his sword, and waited for Neptune to pick up his other sword. After a minute or two, Neptune managed to pick it up with one hand. _Her progress is almost unreal... She was only just able to manage to pick the thing up a couple of hours ago._ Red blinked, and realized that Neptune was right in front of him.

Neptune grinned. "I don't think it's good for your mind to wander that far." She swung the sword upward, and Red leaned back, the tip of the blade grazing his chin. Red glanced upward, and internally sighed in relief that his hat hadn't suffered any damage. Red jumped back, creating some distance, so that he would be able to easily see Neptune coming. But Neptune was on him almost immediately.

Red's eyes widened. _Wait, is she using it effectively already?! But, that can't be possible!_ Red parried a strike from Neptune, and jumped forward, disregarding any semblance of defense, repeatedly attacking Neptune, who was barely able to dodge or block the strikes. "Come on, where's that cocky attitude you had a few seconds ago?"

Neptune giggled. "Right here." Then she ducked under one of Red's swings, and sent the blade of her sword towards Red's race. Red leaned back, and was about to make a joke, but something that looked suspiciously like a shred of the brim of his hat fell in front of his eyes. Red blinked, and, blocking Neptune's next strike, took off his hat to look at it. Neptune had managed to slice off a good chunk of the brim.

Red blinked. Then he blinked again. Then a third time. "Neptune... do you have any idea what you just did?"

Neptune looked at Red, then the hat, and her face paled. "N-no..."

Red looked at Neptune with a blank stare. "You fucked up." Then, Red knocked the sword out of Neptune's hand, and pinned her to the ground, a demonic grin plastered on his face. "Now, you're going to have to face the consequences." Red chuckled as Neptune began squirming.

"N-no, stop!" Red began to slowly unzip Neptune's hoodie, his eyes widening as he saw that she was wearing practically nothing.

"Oh, you weren't expecting this to actually happen, were you?" Red's eyes had a mischievous glint in them.

"O-of course not!" Neptune blushed. "Please... be gentle..."

Red chuckled. "Nope." Then Red began tickling Neptune mercilessly, who began to laugh immediately.

"No! No! Stop! S-s-stop!" Red could tell Neptune was barely able to breath. He rolled his eyes. _Damn, nearly lost control of myself there..._

"Beg for it." Red was feeling a tad sadistic at the moment, and wanted to see the poor girl struggle to form the words that would ensure her release.

"Please! I-I'll do anything!" Neptune managed to get those words out between howls of laughter.

Red stopped, letting Neptune catch her breath. "Anything?" Neptune nodded, still breathing deeply. "Well, in that case..." The glint in his eye came back. "You know all that money you used to fuel your pudding addiction?"

"Hey, it's not an addiction!" Neptune yelled, indignant.

"Sure, and I'm not a monster..." Red sighed. "Anyway, you are going to make it up. By yourself. Within a month."

Neptune's eyes widened. "What?! Are you insane?! Do you have any idea how much I spent on all that pudding?!"

"Hey, be grateful that's the only thing I'm asking for right now." Red eyed her nearly naked body.

"Wait, are you implying that you would rape me?!" Neptune's eyes widened.

Red cocked his head to the side. "Maybe..." Neptune looked up at Red in shock. "What?! When you're wearing a few articles of clothing, you're practically inviting me!"

Neptune growled. Then she broke one hand free, and slapped him. "What the hell do they see in you...?"

Red blinked. Then he moved off of Neptune, and looked up at the sky. "I wish I knew... Hell, I'm probably the worst thing that came into their lives." His eyes began to get watery. "Neptune. Promise me something."

Neptune sighed. "What is it?"

"If I leave before they die, tell them I'm sorry I ever existed." Red took off his hat, and stared at the damage for a bit. "And... Tell them not to feel sad..." Silence. "Please...don't hate me for too long..." Then Red laid on his back, and placed the hat over his face, closing his eyes. _Goddamn it..._

"Red."

"Hm?"

"I'm sorry if I'm wrong, but... you weren't... losing control there... were you...?" Red said nothing, letting the tears that pooled in his eyes slide down the sides of his face.

* * *

Red sighed as he looked up at the ceiling of the room. Or, he would have, if there was any light in the room. After the incident with Neptune, Red had gone out and done his own thing for a few hours, until his stomach had notified him that he was hungry. He had then gone to the closest thing to a bar that he could find. After nearly draining the place, Red decided to go do some 'grinding', as Neptune would call it. But for him, he was just letting out some steam. _Hey, Broken... Do you think I'll ever be able to tame this demon inside of me?_

 ** _"I honestly have no idea. The thing is running through you veins, after all. I mean, you old man was-"_**

 _Don't even go there. I don't need a reminder of exactly what I am...  
_

 ** _"Right, sorry. Anyway, the best thing that you can do for now is just keep reining it in whenever it gets too loose."_**

 _Sure..._ Red sighed again. This was going to be a long night.


	19. Restoration

Red walked through Leanbox, no clear destination in his mind. Any monster unfortunate enough to cross his path was killed almost instantly, entire chunks of their bodies' being punched or kicked off. All the while, Red kept touching the damage to the brim of his hat, and it kept reminding him of his near loss of control. He sighed, and was about to snap his fingers when he felt the buzz of his phone. Reluctantly, Red answered. "Yeah?"

"Red, Lady Vert just told us the exact reason on why she's joining us."

Red sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose in agitation. "Listen, Iffy, I know you revere her, but unless this is important..."

"She's lost her powers as a goddess."

Red blinked a few times, then moved the phone to his other ear, cleaning his ear with his finger. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that? I think I had a bit of crazy in my ear."

"I'm being completely serious. Someone managed to take her powers, and we're on our way to intercept them right now."

Red blinked again. "Why the hell didn't you call me sooner?!"

"Well, after last night, it looked like you needed some space for a bit, and-"

"Just tell me where you are right now. I might be able to-" Then Red remembered the exception to his teleporting rule. "Oh, wait..." Red groaned.

"What?"

"There may be one rule in which I can teleport to a person, no matter where they are..."

"Really?! Then why are you still wherever you are?"

"Because, you're not going to like it. Okay, I'm going to count to three. When I'm finished counting, you're going to move, okay?"

IF was silent for a second. "You're going to teleport right above me, aren't you?"

"Yeah... Okay, one...two..." Red snapped his fingers, and appeared right above IF. "Three!" IF jumped back, letting Red fall to the ground. "Ugh... fuck, that hurt..."

"Now, if you could get off your ass, we sorta have something important to do."

"Yeah..." Red sighed as he got to his feet. "Let's get going." And with that, the two ran off to catch up with the others, with IF explaining the situation along the way.

Then she asked about the exception to his teleporting. Red chuckled nervously, and explained that, for some reason, he was able to teleport directly to people he had had sex with. Because of plot convenience. That is the reason.

* * *

"So, quick question. Why didn't you just teleport us to Vert, or Compa?" IF questioned Red, as they had finally caught up to the rest of the group, who had cornered someone familiar.

Red blinked, then glanced at IF. "Uh..."

"You forgot, didn't you?"

"Maybe. Anyway, it's too late to do anything about it. So let's just hurry and get Vert her powers back." Red sighed as the two slowed to a stop, and his eyes widened as he saw the person that they cornered was the woman that Red had bumped into on his way out of the Basilicom.

"How dare the publisher mimic my plans into a game!" Red and IF glanced at each other, clearly joining in on the conversation at what was probably the worst time. "After I defeat you, I will destroy that publisher that got in my way!" Then, a sudden flash of light, and when Red was able to see correctly again, he saw the woman that had tried to kill Red back in Planeptune.

"So that's your true form? Well, I won't let you destroy any publishers!" Red had started to regret the fact that he forgot he could have teleported to Compa or Vert, because the conversation was just impossible to follow.

"Right..." Red sighed as he began to block out the noise of the conversation, until Neptune transformed. _Oh, I guess that's the cue..._ Red unsheathed his sword, and prepared for the fight. The woman made the first move, lunging at Red, her weapon aiming for his throat. Red sighed, then blocked the strike. "You know, if you would just give Vert back her powers, you can avoid getting your ass handed to you. Just saying."

"I would rather die than surrender!" The woman unleashed a barrage of stabs at Red, who rolled his eyes, and blocked the strikes.

Red sighed. "Okay then..." Then the grin formed. "Have it your way." Red sheathed his sword, and spread out his arms, taunting the woman. "C'mon, let's dance."

The woman growled and rushed at Red, delivering another flurry of stabs. She grinned as one of them managed to hit Red in the shoulder, embedding itself in his flesh. "Hmph. How's that?"

Red chuckled. "You call that a wound? It's barely a scratch." Red grabbed the weapon, and pulled it further into his shoulder, to the point that the blade of the spear was poking out the other side. "Now, that, I can feel." The woman just blinked a few times. "What? Cat got your tongue?"

"Y-you..." The woman looked at Red with a horrified expression.

Red tilted his head to the side. "Yes?"

"You're insane!" The woman tried to rip he weapon back, but Red tightened his grip.

"Oh? Are you trying to pussy out?" Red's eyes turned pitch black. "I don't think so." Then Red cocked back his arm, and let it fly. The punch was enough to knock the woman back, tearing the spear out of her grip. The woman looked at Red in absolute fear, and turned to run. "Nope." Red snapped his fingers, teleported to just behind the woman, and grabbed her by the shoulder, turning her around to face him. "What did I just tell you?" Red then punched her in the gut twice, and kicked her away. "Come on, surely this isn't the best you can do?"

The woman blinked, then blinked again. "That's right..." Then she grinned. "Thanks for reminding me how little you are." And with that, flash of light engulfed the woman, and once it died down, Red's eyes widened slightly.

"Hey, Vert, isn't that your...?"

"Indeed..."

Red sighed as he turned to the woman that had transformed into Vert's other form. "Well, at least this won't be that hard... No offense." Then the woman charged at Red, faster than he could react, and delivered more stabs than he was able to count. Red blinked, then blood erupted from his body, and he fell, his vision fading. _God_ dammit _._ _Why can't I just beat a boss without getting my ass handed to me for the first ten seconds?_

 ** _"Fuck you, that's why."_**

 _That's probably the_ _reason..._ Red internally sighed as his wounds closed. He clumsily made it back to his feet, and was shocked by what he saw. Everyone else in his party was on the ground, with the woman standing triumphantly above them. _Fuck it._ Red was enveloped in a black aura as he began walking toward the woman. "You know, you can hurt me. You can insult my family. You can slaughter innocent lives. But when you fuck with my friends, I'm going to fuck shit up." Red charged, as did the woman, Red's face completely stoic, the woman grinning. Then Red stopped. The woman looked confused for a second before grinning again. She brought the spear and stabbed at Red. He caught the blade in his bare hand. "And when I fuck shit up, people tend to die." Red grinned, every tooth in his mouth transforming into fangs. "So, in terms you can understand: You done goofed." Then Red snapped the blade into two pieces, and brought back his other fist, and slammed it into the woman's face, the force enough to send her body smashing into the ground, and somehow bouncing back up. Red grabbed the woman's ankle, and began slamming her into the ground, and began to laugh hysterically. "My god, you're absolutely pathetic!" Red threw the woman away from him, the grin on his face somehow widening.

"W-what are you...?" The woman looked up at Red, trying to get to her feet.

Red tilted his head as he slowly walked toward her. "I believe I told you this already. I have no idea." Red stopped once he reached the woman, and picked her up by her throat. "Now, if you would be so kind as to give my friend back her power, I might consider letting you live. Does that sound fair to you?" The woman nodded frantically. "That's what I thought." Red dropped the woman back onto the ground. "Do it." Then, the woman transformed back to her original form, and after a flash, a ball of light was floating in the air. "Hm..." Red reached out, and held it by the tips of his fingers. "So, this is her power... Kinda underwhelming." Red glanced at Vert, who had made it back to her feet, glaring at him. "No offense..." Then he sighed. "Well, time to return this to its rightful owner." Red walked over to Vert, and tossed it back to her.

"Hey! Be careful with that!" Vert caught it with both hands, and held it closely to her chest. "Finally... It feels like it's been a while..." Then the ball of light disappeared into Vert's chest.

"Right, well, now that that's done..." Red turned, and began to walk back to the woman, unsheathing his sword. "I think it's time to take out the trash."

The woman's eyes widened. "But, you said-"

"I said I _might consider_ letting you live. And I did. It's stupid. Well, time for your eternal rest." Red raised the sword above his head, and began laughing silently.

"Red, wait!" IF's voice stopped him from bringing the sword down.

Red blinked, and glanced behind him. "You know what, Iffy? If you can give me a single good reason why I shouldn't kill her, I'll let her live."

"If you do, then you're no better than Ganache, or all of Avenir."

Red blinked. Then he growled. "God dammit..." Red sheathed his sword, and glared at the woman. "Be grateful you get to see the sunset one more time..." Red sighed, and his eyes and teeth returned to normal, along with the black aura dissipating into smoke. "But, we can still get some information out of you..."

The woman chuckled, then coughed a few times. "You should have killed me..." Then, in a flash of light that blinded Red temporarily, she was gone.

Red sighed. "Yep. That went about as well as I thought it would go." Then Red began to cough, blood coming up with every breath he took, sending him to his hands and knees, the ground beneath him quickly becoming a deep shade of his name. "God dammit..." Once Red was able to breath without blood coming up, he wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and shakily got back to his feet. He noticed that everyone was staring at him in concern. "What?"

"Red, are you...okay?" Neptune hesitantly walked up to him.

Red waved off her concern. "I'm _fine._ " Red had wanted to smack Neptune upside the head for asking, but he knew that he as just tired, and when he was tired, he was either angry, or sleepy. And right now, he was feeling like going on a rampage. Red sighed, and began walking away, when he nearly tipped on something. "I swear..." Red looked down, and his eyes widened. "Well, I'll be damned..." Red knelt down, and picked up the object he nearly tripped on. Then he grinned. It was a Key Fragment. "Well, well, what's this little thing doing here?"

"Allow me to explain..." Red's grin widened at Histoire's voice.

"Damn, it's really good to hear you, Histy."

"Likewise. It has been awhile..."

"So, you're Histy..."

"So, quick question. How are you speaking to us while you're sealed away?" Red had wondered that for a bit, and this seemed like the perfect time to ask.

"Well, I'm using the resonance of the Key Fragments you've found, and I am able to temporarily speak through them."

Red shrugged. "Okay then. So, why was this Key Fragment here in the first place?"

"That's the one Arfoire was carrying and dropped."

"So, that's her name..." Red burned Arfoire's name permanently into his brain.

"I believe she was afraid of you collecting all of them, and kept one for herself."

Red chuckled. "Well, looks like she handed this one right over to us."

"True. One word of warning... Arfoire's true power is the ability to 'copy.'"

Red blinked. "Oh." Then he realized exactly what that could entail. "Oh...shit."

Everyone looked at him in confusion. "What's wrong?" Neptune was one who voiced it.

"All of you were overpowered by Arfoire when she was in Vert's other form. I demolished her in under a minute. Now, imagine if she had my power." Everyone stared blankly at him for about ten minutes, before the realization sunk in.

"The result... I don't know if Gamindustri would be able to handle it..."

Red sighed. "Yeah, it's a good thing Histy told us. The times I've fought her, she could have taken it..."

"Exactly, this is the reason I wanted to tell all of you this. Oh, it looks like my time is up... Please, continue to locate the Key Fragments." And with that, Histoire's voice faded away.

"Great." Then Red turned to Vert. "So, what are you gonna do now that this whole mess is over?"

"I was about to ask the same thing."

Red shrugged. "Well, I was thinking about heading back to Planeptune, and then to Lowee."

"Aww. We're going home already? C'mon, let's have some fun first!" Neptune pleaded.

Red rolled his eyes. "No, we have a job to do, remember?" Neptune stared at him blankly. Red's left eye twitched for a few seconds. "We're getting the Key Fragments." Red resisted the urge to smack Neptune upside the head, and turned back to Vert. "So, we answered the question, now it's your turn."

"There are quite a number of tasks to take care of, especially after all this. I need to keep watch of the Overlord worship and Enemy Discs too..." Vert seemed nervous at the thought of that much work. "But I assure you that once I am done, I will definitely come see both you and Iffy."

"Heh, glad to hear that." Red smiled, and looked up at the sky. Maybe things would be calm for a day or two.


	20. Complications and Maibigbutt

Red sighed. _Why did I ever think that things could be calm? Oh right, it's because the world likes to rip out peace out from right under my nose._ It had been less than a week in returning to Planeptune, and Vert was already back. Currently, she was hugging both Red and IF. "So, Vert, not that I'm complaining, but, uh... Why exactly are you here? I thought you had things to do back in Leanbox."

"Oh, I just couldn't bear to be without the two of you. And as for the work, Yvoire and Ran-Ran can take care of it."

Red blinked. "Isn't that a bit...much?"

"Oh, don't worry about them. After all, being strict is fundamental in providing a solid foundation."

"That sounds like an excuse for getting out of work and coming to see us..." The arm around Red's neck suddenly tightened to the point that he was having a little trouble breathing.

"You know, it's actually a bit scary how fast it is that I found out I need you two by my side. I am never going to let the two of you out of my sight."

"Vert, you're kind of squeezing a little too tight..." Red tried to squirm out of her grasp, but that only made it worse. "Neptune, help."

Neptune laughed nervously. "You know, I would, but, uh..."

"Neptune, I swear, if you get me out of this woman's grasp, I will pay for all of the pudding you get as long as we still have to collect the Key Fragments." Neptune blinked, and bit her lip, trying to come to a decision. Red growled. "If you don't, you're not getting any more pudding as long as I'm here."

"What?! That's not fair!"

Red grinned. "Neither is my existence, but you don't see me bitching every seconds I'm awake."

And it was at that exact moment that Compa walked back into the apartment. "Nep-Nep. I brought us some pudding."

Red's eye twitched. _Bullshit._ Then he sighed. "Okay, Vert, what do I need to do for you to let go of me?"

Vert giggled. "Oh, I think you know what to do..."

Red sighed. "Fine... Let's just make it quick. I have other things I need to do."

* * *

Red stared at the ceiling. He was sleeping on the floor yet again. Luckily for him, Compa had a enough blankets that he could sleep on. Vert had the couch, and while it was nice having someone else in the room with him, it was a little unsettling as he heard little pieces of her talking in her sleep. Something about having someone all to herself. Red really didn't want to know. Red sighed as he closed his eyes, trying to let his mind drift to sleep. Suddenly, he felt something heavy drop onto his body. Red grunted, and opened one eye. There, trying to get comfortable on his body, was Neptune. "Neptune, what the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"Huh? Oh, well, I was having trouble sleeping, and then I remembered that time I slept on top of you, and how nice it was. So, yeah." Neptune nuzzled Red's chest, and let out a happy sigh. "You know, I just realized something."

Red resisted the urge to sigh. "What is it?"

"I'm the only one in the group that you haven't had sex with."

Red opened his other eye. "You know, I'm pretty sure I could have gone the night without you pointing that out."

"Yeah, well... It's what I do."

Red blinked. "What? Make people feel uncomfortable?"

Neptune nodded. "It's one of the best feelings I get."

Red rolled his eyes. "You know, the way you just blurt that out while you're on top of me... Somebody else might misinterpret it."

Neptune giggled. "Yeah, but it's you I'm talking to, so that won't happen."

Red chuckled. "True. So, what made you decide to bring it up in the first place?"

"Oh, I don't know. I guess I was just feeling a little left out."

Red smiled. "Yeah, well, maybe one day..."

Neptune yawned, and murmured something Red didn't quite catch. Red felt his eyes water up a little bit as he stroke her hair until his mind found its way to the darkness that he usually occupied once he slept. _God dammit, Neptune. You're making it a lot harder to keep my hands off of you than it needs to be.  
_

* * *

Red yawned, then opened his eyes, greeted by the sight of Neptune sleeping peacefully on top of him. Red closed his eyes again, and was content to letting himself enjoy the moment while it lasted.

Red felt Neptune begin to move, and sat up, unintentionally grinding against his body. "Huh...? Oh..." Red internally sighed, but kept his eyes closed, not wanting to get up yet. "Hm, nobody's here right now..." Red's eyes nearly opened, but he wanted to see what would happen. "I mean, it's fine if he's sleeping...right?" Alarms were ringing all the way throughout Red's mind. _What the fuck is she going to do?!_ Red fought to keep calm as he felt Neptune's weight shift higher up his body. "Just... a small one..." Red was now able to feel Neptune's breath against his face. Then, she gave him a peck on the lips. "Huh, that was a lot easier than I thought it would be..." Then Neptune quickly got off of Red, and he heard the door to the apartment open and close.

Red slowly opened his eyes, and got to his feet. "That... just happened..." Red sat down on the couch, and buried his face in his hands. "What the fuck do I do now...? I mean, it's not like I can just have sex with her. That would devastate Noire. Besides, I'm not sure how many more girls are going to be in my harem." Red let out a weary sigh. "I should probably tell Noire about this... But then she would want to kill me. Broken, how the fuck do I fix this?"

 ** _"Well, kid... I can only offer you one course of action. Get Neptune_ and _Noire."_**

Red's eye twitched. _Are you fucking insane?! There's no way that would work!_

 ** _"You sure about that? I mean, you already have Vert, and she's a CPU. Who's to say you won't get all of 'em?"_**

 _Me. Because I'm not an idiot. Noire's in love with Neptune, and I don't think that there's a possibility that she's going to fall for me.  
_

 ** _"Well, just think about it for a while. I mean, it's not like you're going to run into her any time soon."_**

Red sighed. _Yeah._ Then Red got up and left the apartment, looking for something to take his mind off of the situation.

* * *

Red wandered through the streets of the city, his mind more than a million miles away. He sighed, and stopped, looking up at the sky. Why couldn't things ever be simple for him? Oh, right. He didn't deserve that privilege. Then somebody zipped past him in a full sprint, followed by about seven more people. Red blinked. "God dammit." Then he began to follow the group.

Eventually the group had cornered the person in alley. "Got nowhere to run now, do ya?" The one at the front asked, who Red assumed to be the leader. He sounded male.

The one the group surrounded let out an awkward laugh, which also sounded male. "Listen guys, I swear it was an accident! I mean, do you actually think I would go that far?"

The leader barked out a laugh. "Yeah. After all, you're a complete idiot!"

"Oh, come on! I told you that I tripped!"

"Right onto my girl? I'm not buyin' it."

Red sighed. "Excuse me. What with all the damn noise?"

The group turned to Red. The leader looked him up and down, then sneered. "None of ya damn business! Piss off!"

Red chuckled. "You know, I can kill all of you in an instant if I wanted. So, tell me."

The leader glared at Red. "You threatenin' us?"

Red shook his head. "More like a future I would rather not go through."

"Get 'im boys!" The group rushed toward Red, who rolled his eyes.

"You couldn't have just told me what was going on... No, you just had to ask for a trip to the hospital..." Red looked over the group. They had weapons such as chains, lead pipes, and bats. _I won't even need my swords. Good._ Red sidestepped the first person that rushed him, and punched them in the back of the head, knocking them out cold. Red sighed as he caught a pipe in his hand, and punched the one holding it in the face, breaking their nose. They dropped to the ground, holding their nose as blood gushed out. Red's left eye twitched as a grin began to form on his face. Another rushed, and managed to get a chain around Red's neck. The thug pulled on the chain, but Red didn't move an inch. The thug pulled again. Nothing. Red grabbed onto the chain, and broke it, freeing his neck from the uncomfortable tightness. "Okay, I think that's more than enough to-" Red was cut short as the leader roared and charged.

"You're fuckin' dead!"

Red rolled his eyes. "Not as dead as you're going to be." Red grabbed the leader by the throat as soon as he was close enough. "Now, you're going to tell me what happened with the other one up until this point."

The leader glared at Red. "I ain't tellin' you shit!" Red chuckled, then lifted the leader off of the ground, and walked to the alley wall, and slammed him into it a few times.

"Yes, you are." The grin on Red's face got wider.

"Fuck you!" Red slammed the leader one more time.

"Those lips feeling loose enough?"

The leader cough a few times. "Okay! Okay! I'll talk, just stop!"

Red chuckled. "There, was that so hard?"

"It happened in the bar we usually hang at. Everything was going fine, until the bastard showed up, flirting with all the girls there. Then, he trips on fuckin' nothin'. And ya know who he lands on? My girl!"

Red sighed, his grin disappearing. "Okay. I've heard enough." Red dropped the leader, and walked toward the man they were chasing. He was wearing a button-up shirt an a pair of jeans. He had brown eyes and hair, which was unkempt, and some stubble around his face.

The man waved. "What's crackin'?"

Red chuckled. _I have a feeling that I'm going to like this guy._ "So, what's your name?"

"Noble. Noble Maibigbutt."

Red blinked. "My big butt?"

"No, no. not 'my big butt', Maibigbutt. Completely different."

Red smirked. "So, was what that idiot said true?" Red pointed back to the leader with his thumb.

Noble let out an obviously fake cough. "Well..."

Red put a hand on Noble's shoulder. "Was it really an accident?"

"Yes! Of course it was! I apologized and everything!"

Red tilted his head to the side. "Another question. Do things like this happen often?"

Noble sighed. "Yeah, I have no idea why. It's been getting me into trouble for a while now."

"And what are you doing with your life at the moment?"

Noble blinked. "Oh, um... Nothing, to be honest."

Red grinned again, and put his other hands on Noble's shoulder. "You know what? I like you. What would you say if I told you that at the moment I'm on an epic adventure to save the world."

"I would say that I believe you."

"Good. And what would you say if I offered you to join?"

Noble's eyes widened. "I would say fuck yes."

"Noble, I can tell this is going to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship."


	21. Friendship and Nightmares

Red laughed as Noble and he walked through the streets of the city. Already the two were getting along almost perfectly. Apparently, Noble's lifelong dream was getting a harem completely made up of catgirls. "I've been searching the wilds, but so far I haven't had any luck."

"Oh, we are going to have the best time on this adventure..." Red blinked once he saw IF, walking into the Guild. "Hey, I think I saw one of my friends, I'll introduce you to her. Come on." As the two entered the Guild, Red noticed that Noble was looking around, an expression of awe on his face. Red chuckled. "This your first time stepping inside?"

Noble nodded. "It's beautiful." Then Red actually decided to follow Noble's gaze.

Red blinked. _Yeah, I should have seen this coming._ "Noble, we're here to meet a friend, not check out girls." Then Red remembered something. "Oh yeah, that reminds me. Noble, have you had any actual combat experience?"

"Uh, do video games count?"

Red sighed. "Okay, so, that's a no. C'mon, we're getting a quest for you while we're here." Red began walking toward the quests, then he stopped as he thought of something. "Noble. Do you even have a weapon?" Noble nodded. "Good. Now, I'm gonna start us off with something nice and easy." Red resumed looking over the quests that were available. Collect the materials, kill a number of monsters, kill a big monster. "Hm, I think this one will do." Red accepted a quest that he was confident would allow him to see how well Noble would be able to hold his own in an actual fight. Red turned around, fully expecting Noble to be there. But he wasn't. Red sighed. _Noble, if you're flirting with my girl, I will disembowel you, and hang you like a decoration._ Red looked around until he saw Noble, and a very uncomfortable looking IF. Red's eye twitched as he walked toward the two.

"So, what cup size you rockin'?"

Red tapped Noble on the shoulder lightly, and began to smile pleasantly. The kind of smile that once someone sees, they know they fucked up. "Noble, you wouldn't happen to be flirting with her, would you?"

Noble's eyes widened before he quickly began to shake his head. "What?! No, no! Why would I ever do that?!"

"Good. Because, I can be quite possessive, if you know what I mean." IF blushed as Red said that.

"Possessive...?" Noble looked between Red's horrifying smile and IF's blushing face. "Oh. _Oh._ Oh..."

"Yeah, so, just keep your hands off of her, and all will be forgiven." Noble gave a thumbs up. "Good. Now, c'mon Iffy, I want to see how well our new friend can defend himself."

"Wait, what?" IF looked at Red with her head slightly tilted.

"Oh yeah, this guy's part of the group now. I saved him about fifteen minutes ago. We're going on a quest to fuck up some monsters' day."

"Uh, no offense, but he looks like he wouldn't even be able to beat a Dogoo."

"Yeah. But then again, I didn't think Compa would be able to hold her own, and look at her. I'm actually a little scared of her, to be honest."

"Uh, hello? I'm right here..."

"To adventure!" Red grabbed his friends hands, and began to lead them to the dungeon.

* * *

As the three walked through the dungeon, Noble decided to ask something. "So, are you two dating or...?"

Red tilted his head to the side. "Not really. Unless you count banging them and them having them be a member of your harem as dating."

"Red! Don't just tell him that we..." IF trailed off, blushing madly once again.

Red grinned. "What? It's not like he won't find out once he meets the others."

Noble was stuttering. "W-w-wait... So, you're saying that the two o-of you..."

Red nodded. "Yep. I even have a CPU in the harem. Green Heart. You'll get to know her, and I think the two of you will get along quiet nicely."

Noble stared at Red with his mouth hanging open. "Please, teach me your ways."

Red chuckled. "Maybe one day... Oh, wait. I think I see the monsters we're supposed to kill." Red pointed at the group. "C'mon, let's see if you're worth dragging along." The trio rushed to the monsters, and Red and IF brought out their weapons. "So, Noble, what exactly is your weapon?"

Noble grinned, and then pulled out a high-tech looking cannon from fuck-all nowhere. "Friendship cannon."

Red blinked. "How are you even able to hold that thing...?"

Noble shrugged. "It feels like it's made of foam."

Red blinked again, then shrugged. "Good enough for me. Let's see how much power the thing has."

"Gladly." Noble aimed the cannon at the nearest monster, and a ball of energy began to form at the end of the barrel. _Oh, this is going to be glorious._

The ball of energy began to grow, first to the size of a fist, then the size of Red's skull, and finally the size of a fully grown watermelon. Then the ball of energy exploded forward, a beam the size of Red's body shooting toward the monster, completely obliterating it. The three looked on in shock at the amount of power the cannon had packed. "Oh, yeah... I think you'll be fine."

* * *

After a complete massacre of the monsters, along with them turning the quest in, the trio decided to head back to Compa's apartment. As the three entered, Red noticed that Compa and Neptune were already inside. "Oh, you two are already here. That's makes introducing the new guy a bit easier."

Neptune tilted her head. "Huh? New guy?"

Red grinned. "Yeah. I'm no longer the only male of the group. Besides, I think you're going to like him."

Red stepped aside for Noble to make his introduction. "What's crackin'? I'm Noble. Good to meet you."

The two stared at him for a few moments, before Neptune spoke up. "Um, are you sure he'll be able to handle himself if he comes along?"

Red chuckled. "Oh, I've seen him in action. Yeah, I'm pretty confident that he'll be alright with us. Now all we need to do is introduce him to Vert." _Yeah, because that'll go well with him..._ "And then we're off to Lowee."

Red saw Noble stiffen and the mention of the country, while IF facepalmed. "That's right. I forgot to tell you, Conversation is in Lowee."

Red blinked. "Who?"

Every female in the room sighed. "Arfoire."

Red nodded. "Oh. Well, now we have all the more reason to get there. Hey, Noble, have you ever left Planeptune?"

Noble scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Well, you see... I'm sort of from Lowee..."

"And?" Red raised a brow, wondering why that would be important in any way.

"I was kinda, sorta, maybe kicked out..." Noble grinned sheepishly.

Red blinked. "I'm sorry, but how the fuck does that happen?"

"Well, you see, there was an emergency at my hometown, and when she saved us, I may have gotten...a little excited...and...kissed her..."

Red and the girls said nothing as they just stared at Noble. After a few minutes of awkward silence, Red cleared his throat. "Noble...you are a fucking idiot."

"Yeah, it wasn't the best idea I've had in my life." Noble chuckled nervously.

"No, I'm pretty sure that it was your worst." Red sighed. "Anyway, I think we're going to have to pull a few strings. I'm sure Vert must be able to do something." Red sighed again. "Hey, Neptune, Compa, do either of you know where she is?"

Neptune shrugged. "I think she said something about going shopping for something, I don't really know, I wasn't listening."

Red pinched the bridge of his nose. "And where exactly did she say she was going?" Neptune blinked, then shrugged. Red's eye twitched for a second, before he sighed. "Neptune, you may be an idiot, but you're my idiot."

IF cleared her throat. "Uh, Red, can't you just, oh, I don't know, _teleport_ to her?"

Red raised a brow. "And possibly fall on top of her in public? Yeah, that's not happening. Well, if she comes over before I find her, give me a call." Red turned around, and began to walk out, but Noble stepped in front of him, looking utterly confused.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what was she talking about?"

Red blinked. "Oh yeah, we didn't tell you anything about what I can do. Okay, you three, get him up to speed. I'm going now." Red quickly stepped around Noble, and walked through the door.

Only to bump into Vert. "Oh, Red, where were you off to?"

Red's eye twitched. "I _was_ going to try and find you, but, since you're right in front of me, I might as well head back inside." Red sighed as he walked back inside. "So, what was it that you were buying? Some kind of new release?"

Vert giggled. "Oh, I'm glad you asked. Tada!" Vert then put on a pair of glasses. Red just blinked. "Oh? Am I that amazing?"

Red pinched the bridge of his nose. "Please tell me that isn't your disguise for when we actually get to Lowee?"

"Oh, how did you figure that out?"

Red counted to four, took a breath, counted to four again, and let it out. "You know what? I'm going to drain the closest bar. You three," Red pointed at the other girls. "Catch her up on where we're heading out in a couple of days, and see if she can do anything about Noble's banishment."

* * *

Red cursed silently as he was thrown out of yet another bar. _God damn, I have a drinking problem..._ Red yawned, and looked up into the sky, realizing that it was well into the night. "Shit, how long have I been drinking..." Red sighed as he began walking. The only reason that he didn't teleport was the fact that alcohol and his teleporting didn't mix very well. Which was putting it lightly.

Red sighed as he opened the door to Compa's apartment. Red learned after a while that the crime rate in Planeptune, or anywhere else, really, was practically nonexistent. Currently, Neptune was sleeping soundly on the couch, snoring softly, and the table next to it had been moved to make room for the air mattress now on the floor. Red chuckled lightly, and ruffled Neptune's hair. She smiled in her sleep and began murmuring something that Red couldn't quite make out. Red sighed contently, and collapsed face first onto the air mattress. _God dammit, she's making so hard to keep my hands off of her..._

 ** _"Yeah, well, you can always fuck 'em both."_**

 _Piss off._ Red's mind began to drift off, until he heard movement coming from the couch. Red grumbled, and rolled over, and looked up at Neptune. Red opened his mouth to say something before he remembered that she was asleep. Red sighed again as he closed his eyes, and tried to get comfortable. But then another noise began to assault his ears. It was whimpering. Red's eyes snapped open, and he sat up quicker than a rattlesnake. "Neptune?" Red's voice was filled with concern. She was squirming, her eyes were squeezed shut, and tears were streaming down her face. Red cursed under his breath as he moved to Neptune as quietly as he could, not wanting to disturb everybody's rest. "Neptune?" Red raised his voice a bit. Neptune showed no signs of hearing him. Red then reached out to her shoulder, and tried to gently shake her awake. Nothing. Red growled, then sighed. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, they were back to the 'blind' state. Red put his hand on Neptune's forehead, the white 'flames' flickering. Suddenly, it felt like a surge of electricity shot up from Red's hand to his skull. Red pulled back, surprised by the amount of resistance Neptune's nightmare was putting up. Red sighed, and put his other hand to Neptune's forehead, this time prepared for the pain. After about half a minute, Red felt something flowing out of his eyes, but it was too thick to be tears. Red dismissed it as nothing important, and concentrated on waking Neptune up. Eventually, she sat up in an instant, surprising Red to the point of him jumping back. "Shit... Neptune, are you o-" Red was cut off as Neptune lunged for him, burying her face into his chest, quietly sobbing. Red blinked a couple of times before he began rubbing her back, and rocking gently back and forth in an attempt to calm her down. "Shh, it's okay, it's okay..." Neptune slowly began to calm down, giving Red the perfect opportunity to check what was flowing out of his eyes. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve, and when he looked at it, his eyes widened. It was blood. Red began wiping away more, hoping to rid his face of the blood, in case it would trigger another fit of crying. "So, mind telling me what happened?"

Neptune was silent for a good three minutes before she spoke up. "It... I don't ever want to go through that again..."

Red tightened his grip on Neptune, his worry bubbling up. "C'mon. It'll help. Trust me."

Neptune nodded slowly before she began. "We were fighting Arfoire again, and... she managed to copy your power... She killed everyone in an instant. And I just watched, useless..." Red's eyes widened as she summarized her dream. "Red... Please, promise me something..."

Red smiled down at Neptune. "That depends on what it is."

"Never leave us alone. I don't think we could handle it."

Red chuckled sadly. "Neptune, do you think I'm the kind of person that makes a promise I know I can't keep..."

"No..."

Red sighed. "Exactly...Now, c'mon, we need to rest up. I have a feeling that we're going to have a big day tomorrow."


	22. The Land of White Serenity

**Red looked around. Everything was burning. It was another nightmare. Another vision. Red was in Planeptune. Or, at least, what was left of it. Red sighed as he wandered around, hearing laughter every so often. Suddenly, a silhouette of Red's body came crashing through one of the buildings. Following it, was someone wearing a suit of what looked like demonic armor (In case you haven't noticed, I can't describe anything to save my life, so just search daedric armor), wielding two of what was equivalent to the buster sword. One had a black blade, and the other was white. The same color of his swords. The armored swordsman was beating down Red's silhouette. Suddenly, a bright light surrounded the armored swordsman, and once it died down, Red's eyes widened. It was him, blood running down multiple wounds, on his knees. The silhouette stepped toward 'Red' hesitantly. Then it began to laugh nervously. "Y-you see? I told you it was worthless! You can't kill me Red! No matter how many tricks you have up your sleeve!" The silhouette walked up to 'Red', lifted a foot, and kicked him in the face. "You're nothing compared to me! I am the embodiment of every sin you've committed! I am everything you hate about-" Suddenly, 'Red' was back up, his hand around the silhouette's throat.  
**

 **"Shut the fuck up. You are the past. I live in the moment. See the problem there?" White flames flickered to life all around 'Red's body, and this time, they were burning. The silhouette began screaming, trying to get away, the flames burning it away from existence. "And stay the fuck out." 'Red' dropped to the ground, his hat untouched by the flames. He chuckled a bit, before quieting again.**

* * *

Re's eyes snapped open. _Did... did I just watch myself die? And the way I was in that armor before... It's almost as if I was a..._ Red sighed as he closed his eyes again. _No, now's not the time. We need to complete the task at hand, and that's finding the Key Fragments._ Red sighed as he opened his eyes again, and tried to sit up, only for a weight clutching at him to stop him. Red looked down, and smiled warmly as he saw Neptune, sleeping soundly, hugging him in her sleep. "Dammit, Neptune... You're making this way too damn hard for me." Red tried to squirm his way out of her grasp, but that only caused her to tighten her grip on him. Red chuckled softly, and his eyes wandered to the window. Sunlight flooded the room, effectively keeping Red from going back to sleep. Red looked back to Neptune, basking in the adorableness of her sleeping face. _Okay, that's enough..._ Red began squirming again, attempting to wake Neptune. "C'mon, Neptune, we have a job to do." Neptune just mumbled in her sleep. Red sighed. "Okay, but remember, your brought this upon yourself." Red grinned demonically before he began to tickle Neptune, causing her to wake immediately, and laughing her lungs out. "Wakey, wakey, Neppy!" Red's sadistic side was having a hell of a time as Neptune kept laughing, begging Red to stop. He didn't let up. Although, all good things had to come to an end. His arms had gotten tired, and Neptune had nearly passed out right under him. "So, you awake?"

Neptune nodded, trying desperately to catch her breath. "You...didn't have to...do that, you know?"

Red chuckled sadistically. "Yeah, but what else would have been as fun?" Neptune tried to glare at him, but the fact that she was breathing heavily only made it adorable for him. "Okay, I won't do it again."

It was then that the door opened, with IF stepping inside. "Oh, you two are finally awake." Then she blinked. Red raised a brow, then looked under him, remembering that Neptune was still there. "Um, I wasn't interrupting anything, was I?"

Red quickly got up, and scratched the back of his head, thinking of a way to switch the topic. "No, it's okay. Where is everyone?" IF deadpanned. "...They're all waiting for us to go to Lowee, aren't they?" IF nodded. "Shit. Alright then, let's get going."

* * *

Red smiled sheepishly as the whole group met up. "So, I hope we weren't keeping you guys waiting for too long."

Noble, who Red didn't expect to see, answered sarcastically. "Oh, no, it's fine. It's not like we could have spent those hours doing something productive."

Red sighed. "Okay, I get it. Let's just get to Lowee."

Noble looked Red up and down. "In those clothes?"

Red looked down at his attire. "Yeah, what's wrong with my clothes?"

Noble laughed a bit. "Oh, you are not going to have fun..."

Red raised a brow, but decided to ask something more important. "So, I'm assuming that you're good to go back to Lowee."

"Oh, yeah. Turns out that after a year, Lady White Heart decided to lift my banishment."

Red blinked. "Wow, that's kinda funny, actually."

"Yeah, well, once you see her in person, you'll understand why I didn't try to go back."

Red smiled. "Well, what are we waiting for?" And with that, the party set off to Lowee, with Red soon wishing he had brought warmer clothing.

* * *

Red's teeth chattered, and while he could stand it, the cold wasn't exactly the most welcoming weather. "H-how much f-farther u-u-until we reach the Basilicom?"

Noble grinned. "You sure you're not regretting your choice of clothing now?"

Red frowned. "J-just answer the d-d-damn question."

Noble rolled his eyes. "Well, it's been a while since I've been here, so I may be wrong, but it shouldn't be too far."

Red sighed. "That's w-what you said about ten m-minutes ago."

Noble shrugged. "Yeah, well, what can you do?"

Red glared at Noble for a few seconds, before sighing. "Please tell me there's at least an inn nearby."

"Oh, sure, there's actually a lot of them, since we don't get many visitors from other nations. So, we put as many inns as we reasonably can."

Red rolled his eyes. "And where's the closest one?"

Noble shrugged. "Somewhere."

Red's eye twitched. "God dammit." The party trekked on until they found an inn, in which they rested for a few hours, and went back to searching for the Basilicom.

* * *

The party all cheered tiredly. "We're finally here." Red was seriously considering hugging the building and never letting go. "Oh, hey, Noble, would you mind staying out here?"

Noble looked puzzled. "Why?"

"Well, we are about to enter the place where you were almost killed by the person living inside."

Noble blinked. "Oh yeah..."

Red rolled his eyes. "Yeah, so, it's probably the best course of action to stay away from that person."

Noble looked a little disheartened. "Yeah..."

Red put a hand on Noble's shoulder. "Hey, don't worry, I'm sure you'll be able to be in the same room without having to run around for your life once we talk to her."

"Really?"

"Really really." And with that, Red gave Noble a quick salute, and entered the Basilicom, the girls following close behind. Red let out a sigh of content as the warmth of simply being inside washed over him. "Oh, that's good..."

"You know, something just struck me." Red glanced at Vert.

"Oh yeah, and what is that?"

"If Conversation was seen here, they be in this together."

Red blinked. "Oh. Yeah, that's not good." Red sighed. "And here I was, hoping we could just talk normally for once."

"Well, since we're here, we may as well ask around for Constipation."

Red closed his yes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Well, it's pretty much necessary at this point. Also, it's 'Conversation.'"

It was then that a voice caused Red to open his eyes. "Welcome to the Lowee Basilicom. Have you come to see Lady White Heart?"

Red let out a sigh of relief. "Yes, actually. We were hoping to get a few answers to our questions."

"Very well. To start, I am Financier. Lady White Heart's chamberlain. It must have been cold outside. Let me prepare something warm for you."

Red shook his head. "I'm fine."

Neptune looked beyond excited. "Ooh! Can I get a nice warm bowl of stewed pudding?!" Red blinked. _Stewed?_

Red opened his mouth to comment, but Compa was quick to place her order. "I would be happy if I had a cup of sugar topped with hot chocolate." Red sighed, and closed his mouth, knowing that his thoughts would mean nothing.

"I'll have milk tea." IF's request was somewhat simple.

"I'll have the same. Oh, but a Darjeeling pure blend for the tea leaves."

Red sighed again. "You know what? Just get me something with alcohol in it."

Financier looked nervous. "This isn't a restaurant..."

* * *

Financier lead the party to a set of double doors, which she entered, and after a few seconds, beckoned the party to enter. Red whistled as he entered. "Well, this sure is fancy..." Red glanced at the girl that he assumed was White Heart.

"Hi, Lady White Heart! I'm Neptune, and this here is-"

"Cut the introduction. I know you all very well." It was at that moment that a feeling of dread overcame Red. Something was off...

"Huh? Are we famous or something?"

"Yes, very famous..." Red's hand subconsciously wandered close to his sword.

"Heh, now you're making me blush..." Red growled quietly, as to not catch the attention of anyone in the room.

"Famous as messengers of Momus, that is."

At those words, Red gripped his weapon, ready for a fight. "Well, this is going to be problematic..." Red's eyes began roaming around the room, looking for any exits other than the double doors. Then the guards began flooding the room, surrounding the party. Red sighed as he unsheathed his sword. "Well, this isn't going to be fun."

"Looks like you're cornered."

"Blanc...are you serious?"

"Dead serious. While I'm at it, I'll end your misery here too, Vert."

"My, my. It looks like my disguise was unveiled."

Red's eye twitched. "You had no disguise! I mean, they were a pair of goddamn glasses! Who would be stupid enough to be fooled by something as small as that?!"

"Red, I don't mean to rain on your parade, but remember Avenir?" Neptune brought up a good point.

"Shut up, Neptune." Red was not in the mood to be contradicted. "We need to find a way out of here." _Normally, I would fight my way out, but with these girls here..._ Red sighed. "Okay, here's the plan. I'll keep the guards busy, and the rest of you get out of here as fast as you can."

"But, Red, what about you?" Compa looked around nervously.

Red chuckled. "Oh, I'm not the one you should be worrying about." Then Red unsheathed his other sword. "Now, go!" Red charged toward the guards, a grin plastered on his face. He deflected the weapons easily, even cleaving through a few. He slashed at a few guards, leaving them with light cuts. Then he saw Blanc. Red's grin turned into a scowl. "Oh, I remember you..." Red charged through the guards, not caring about the wounds he was receiving. **_"Red, the girls made it out. I'm pretty sure it's time for you to disappear."_** Red looked around the room, and sure enough, there was a broken stained glass window. Red sighed, and sheathed his weapons. "Sorry, but it looks like I'll settle this later." Red snapped his fingers, and teleported to the entrance of the Basilicom, startling Noble.

"Shit!" He fell into the snow.

Red rolled his eyes. "Yeah, listen, White Heart wants us dead, so, take my hand." Red offered his hand to Noble.

"Wait, what?" Noble took Red's hand, looking confused.

"No time." Red snapped his fingers, and in an instant, both Noble and Red fell onto IF.

"Oof!" The three quickly scrambled to their feet. "Mind giving me some warning next time?!"

Red grinned. "You know, I would, but we're sort of running for our lives." IF growled, and Red laughed. All the while, Noble looked like he had no idea what was going on.


	23. Anger Issues

Red was fighting the cold as the party trudged through the snow. "H-hey, Noble, we n-near that city y-yet?"

Noble looked around. "I don't know, does it look that way to you?"

Red didn't even bother wasting the energy to glare at him. "Dammit... With the whole Basilicom against us, our journey just got a hell of a lot harder."

"What we need is an ally." Vert voiced her thoughts on the situation.

"Yeah, like we can just get those. Vert, we have another CPU against us."

"Well, we will need to prioritize seeking help, then."

Red sighed. "God, why is it every time we go to a new country, something has to fuck up the entire plan..."

"But, there is one thing we know for sure."

Red barked out a laugh. "Please, enlighten me."

"That the Lowee Basilicom is backing Conversation."

Red stopped. "I don't see how anyone could have missed that. Besides, what exactly can we do about it?"

"Which is why we need allies. You know, someone outside of the Basilicom. Remember Chian? Someone like that."

Red rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but the only difference is that Noire wasn't in on the whole mess back then. Now, if we have enough energy to talk, we should be shifting it to getting to the damn city."

Noble tapped Red on the shoulder. "I don't think that's going to be as easy as we thought..."

Red then heard the voices of a guard. "There they are! They're in the forest!"

Red sighed, too tired to run. "I swear to god, I am going to go on a fucking rampage by the end of this day."

"Hands behind your head and stay on the ground!"

Red glanced at the ground. "I'm sorry, but do you have a death wish?"

"Give up already!"

Red grinned. "Oh, are you actually going to fight us?"

"Not us! Go! Dragon, I choose you!" The guard threw out a disc, and a dragon popped out in a flash of light.

Red blinked. "You know what? I'm done trying to stay off the alcohol." Red took out his flask, and drained it. "Ah, that's so much better."

"We'll be serious then! Go! Nep-Nep, I choose you!" Red stared at Compa for a few seconds, before shaking his head slowly.

"Pika!" Neptune transformed, and readied her sword. "I won't hold back against monsters."

Red glanced at Noble, who seemed to be laughing his ass off. "Noble, I swear to god, if you do any-"

"Go! Red, I choose you!" Noble slapped Red on the back.

"Noble, we're going to have a serious talk whenever we find someplace safe." Red unsheathed his weapon, and glared at the monster. "Right now, let's just get this over with." Red glanced at Vert, who was staring at IF. Red sighed, and waited for IF to give in to the stupidity.

"Oh! Alright then! Go! Lady Vert, I choose you!"

Then Vert squealed, causing Red to want smash his head into the nearest tree. "That's what I've been waiting for!" Then she transformed. "Now, let me show you my power."

Red sighed. "I'm honestly starting to wonder how nobody has died yet..."

* * *

After a complete curb stomping on the dragon, with one of the guards muttering something, the party made their retreat. Soon, they began seeing lights. "Hey, Noble, please tell me that's the city."

Noble squinted. "I can't be sure."

Red looked around, and saw that Compa was lagging behind. "I-I can't move anymore..."

Red raised a brow. "Hey, Compa, are you okay? I can carry you if you want."

"Oh, I'm fine. I just need to rest a bit."

Red grinned as he walked up to Compa, and in an instant, he was carrying her bridal style. She yelped, and Red chuckled. "Sorry, but that was a rhetorical question. I was going to carry you either way."

Neptune pouted. "Aw, why can't you carry me?"

Red deadpanned. "Because, you can keep up with the rest of us."

"But, it's cold! And you're warmth just may keep me alive!"

Red rolled his eyes. "If that's the case, make Noble carry you. That way, you get to be carried, and Noble makes an actual contribution to the group."

Noble nodded. "Yeah!" Then he blinked, the words processing in his brain. "Hey!"

"But I want to be carried by you."

Red sighed. Neptune was going to be the death of him, somehow. "How about this? Noble carries you, and I have to do whatever it is you want later. That sound fair?"

The usual mischievous grin graced Neptune's face. "Anything?"

A shiver went down Red's spine. "Y-yeah..."

"Okay!" And with that, she jumped onto Noble's back. "Onward!"

Red sighed again."I feel like I'm going to regret the deal I just made... But then again, it _is_ Neptune, so it shouldn't be too bad." _If only I actually believed that..._ Red blinked, and then he heard a twig snap somewhere nearby. He began looking around, trying to find whatever was closing in on them.

"You all look like you need some help."

Red blinked as a new girl entered his field of vision. _How in the hell did she get this close without me seeing her..._ Red's eyes roamed the girl's body, wondering how she wasn't freezing to death with the clothes she was wearing. "And who exactly are you?"

The girl smiled pleasantly. "I'm CC2. I was asked to help you out."

Red narrowed his eyes. "Uh, yeah, because we can just trust a complete stranger. How do we know you're not with the Basilicom?"

CC2 blinked. "You need proof?"

Red nodded. "That's usually something that's really good when you're trying to convince somebody."

CC2 laughed nervously. "Sorry, I'll just need you to trust me, since I don't have any proof."

Red deadpanned. "You're making a really convincing point..." The sarcasm was practically dripping from his words.

Then he felt a tug on his scarf. He looked down at Compa. "Red, I don't think we really have much of a choice." Then she smiled. "I don't think someone who was bad would come out so openly."

"Besides, Red, just look at her." Noble was grinning. "I mean, she's so cute, I could just eat her out- up! I meant up!"

Red blinked. "Noble, I am actually questioning my decision to bring you along already." Then Red sighed. "Well, we needed allies. Looks like we have one. Now, let's get going before somebody dies of hypothermia."

* * *

After a long walk, in which a conversation revealed that CC2 was from another dimension, big surprise, the group finally came to their destination. "The person that asked me to help is right up ahead."

Red raised a brow. "You mean you're not coming with us?"

"I was just asked to bring you here and nothing more." Then CC2 grinned. "Besides, they could still be chasing you down. I'll go mix things up a bit."

Red smiled. "Thanks for the help. Be careful out there."

"Sure thing! See ya!" And with that, she took off.

"It's nice to meet you all again."

Red blinked as he turned to the voice, and almost immediately, he felt anger bubbling up inside of him. "You..." It was Financier.

"Yes. I am, again, Lady Blanc's chamberlain, Financier."

Red's eyes twitched as they slowly turned pitch black. "This better not be another trap. Otherwise, I'm going to-"

"Trap? Oh, no! Quite the contrary actually."

Red blinked, his eyes returning to normal. "Wait, what?"

"I asked CC2 to help, as I had a favor to ask of you all."

Red tilted his head to the side. "Yeah, because we'll just help out right after the Basilicom just tried to capture us..."

"We don't have much time. Please follow me. If you feel at any time a sense of deceit, please go ahead and kill me."

Red sighed, and crossed his arms. "Well, that settles it. We can trust her."

Everyone stared at him in disbelief. "I'm sorry, but exactly what did she say to warrant your trust?"

Red glanced at IF. "Well, about eighty percent of the time, whenever people tell me to take their life if I'm feeling deceived, they usually have good intentions."

IF crossed her arms. "And what about the other twenty percent?"

"Oh, usually they try to kill me, and end up dead. So, it's really a situation where we have nothing to lose. Besides, why would they go through this much trouble just to back us into a corner. I mean, wouldn't it be easier to just keep sending cannon fodder until we exhaust ourselves?" Everyone stared at Red. "What? It's what I would do..."

Financier cleared her throat. "Right... Well, in any case, I appreciate the fact that you trust me. Now, if you would be so kind as to follow me."

Red began to follow her, when he noticed that everyone was still staring at him. "What? Is there something on my face?"

* * *

After a bit more walking, the group finally made it into the city. "We should be fine now."

Red raised a hand in tired joy. "Yay." Then he glanced at IF with a grin on his face. "Told you we could trust her."

IF rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah."

"Now that you're all safe, I need you to meet another person."

Red's grin left his face, and his eyes twitched. "So, you got someone to take us to you...so you could take us to somebody else?"

Financier blinked. "Well, when you put it so bluntly..."

Red sighed. "Right. So, who exactly are you taking us to?"

Financier fidgeted a bit. "Well, you see, it's a bit difficult to explain..."

Red raised a brow. "How so?"

"Um..."

Suddenly, a pair of young men approached the party. From nowhere. "Hello there, Financier. It's been a while." The younger looking one greeted.

The older man was eying Compa and Vert. "I see two delicate beauties. Are they the ones you mentioned?" Red couldn't help but glare.

Financier nodded. "Yeah. I was able to get them here, away from the Basilicom."

The older man nodded. "I see." He turned to the rest of the party. "Pleasure to meet you all. My name is...Older Brother." Red's brain desperately wanted to stop functioning at this point. "This here is Younger Brother."

Red blinked, and stared at the to in disbelief. Red's family had a history of bad names, but this was on an entirely new level. "Older Brother...and Younger Brother? That..." Red couldn't even find the words he wanted to say, so he opted for something much more polite. "Those are definitely weird names..."

Younger Brother chuckled. "Those aren't our real names. They're aliases. Right, Older Brother?"

Older Brother nodded. "Yes." Older Brother stared at Vert for a few moments. "...The beauty with the glasses. Can you grace us with your name?" Red's eye twitched. If either of the two tried to make a move on his girls, he would have them hanging by their entrails.

Vert giggled. "My, what an honest person. My name is Vert."

"Vert...ah, what a kind and voluptuous name... May I call you Lady Vert?" Yeah, Red was going to have to warn the two men before they tried anything that would get them killed.

"Why, most certainly." And Vert wasn't making matters any better.

"Now, the fine maiden with the flowing pink hair, may I receive your name?" Younger Brother asked Compa, unknowingly fanning the flames of the inferno that was Red's anger.

"Me? My name is Compa."

"Ah, Compa... The name resonates angelic beauty and bounty..."

"That's the first time anyone's praised my name." By this point, Red was oozing off an aura of utter bloodlust, to the point where everyone except the two men could feel it. "Hey, excuse me you two, mind if we have a quick little chat?" The smile on Red's face was completely false, and the two men's eyes widened when they saw the smile.

"O-of course. W-what appears to be the problem?" Older Brother was shaking a bit.

Red grinned. _Oh, I'm going to enjoy fucking with them._

* * *

 **AN: I'm alive! So, uh, yeah, sorry for the three month delay in the story. Things have been really hectic on my end. I know it probably doesn't make up for how long I've been gone, but I'm hoping I can get out another chapter before the month is finished. Seeya.**


	24. White Heart

Red could practically feel the fear coming from the two brothers as he led them out of earshot from the rest of the group. "So, you two are probably wondering what I could possibly want to talk to you about." The brothers nodded, too afraid to speak. "Okay. So, I'm only going to say this once, so listen well." Red grinned as his eyes turned pitch black. "If either of you lay a single hand on any of my girls, I am going to personally make sure that the both of you are physically incapable of having children. Understand?"

"O-of course!"

"A hundred percent!"

Red smiled pleasantly, his eyes returning to normal. "So happy we came to understanding. Now, let's get back to our friends."

As Red and the brothers approached the group, Noble seemed to sense the primal fear from he brothers. "So, uh, what did you guys talk about?"

Red smiled cheerfully. "Oh, just the same talk we had about the girls..."

Noble blinked, then his eyes widened. "Oh. Oh..."

Older Brother cleared his throat. "S-so, Financier, will they be seeing..."

Financier nodded. "Yes. It may be complicated, but I believe they can help."

Both brothers audibly gulped. Younger Brother put on a smile. "V-very well. Then let us lead the way as gentlemen. Everybody, this way." And with that, the two brothers began walking.

Financier blinked. "That's strange..."

Red glanced at her. "What do you mean?"

"Well, they usually show much more interest in those with...special arrangements..."

Red blinked. "You mean those with big boobs?"

Financier laughed nervously. "Well, that's another way of putting it... I wonder what the matter is with them..."

Red chuckled darkly. "Oh, I just gave them a warning about touching my girls."

Financier looked confused. "Your...girls..." Then her eyes widened. "Y-you don't mean..."

Red nodded. "Yep. The only one that's not part of the harem is Neptune. She's sort of off limits."

"What do you mean 'off limits'?"

Red sighed. "Well, a friend of mine is in love with her..."

"O-oh...I see..."

"Yeah... So, where exactly are we going?"

"We're going to see our leader."

Red blinked. "Leader? Leader of what?"

"Leader of our resistance."

"Oh. What are you resisting against?"

"The CPU of Lowee, Lady White Heart."

"So, wait, you serve her, and yet you're part of a group to bring her down? Why?"

Financier sighed. "Up until recent, this nation was one of joy, but we have slowly become a land with the vision of dominating the world..."

Red blinked. "Well, that's definitely unexpected..."

"The citizens were against the change, but this is Lady White Heart's will..."

Red nodded. "And so, the people that have the courage to go against her made a resistance group."

Financier nodded. "Exactly."

Red hummed in thought. "There's one thing that I don't understand. What could have happened to White Heart to have her change this badly?"

Financier smiled. "I think the person you will be seeing will be able to explain it. We're here." Financier opened the doors to a building that looked much more important than the others. "Excuse me.. I bring to you our powerful allies."

Inside was the last person Red was expecting. It was White Heart, or as Vert had called her in the Basilicom, Blanc. She was on the floor, surrounding by books, with one currently held open in her hands. "I'm busy right now. I'm sorry, but can you lead them out?"

It was then that everyone' excluding Red, let out a cry of confusion. Financier sighed. "They came all the way here for us. It would be rude to send them off."

Red decided to ask the obvious. "So, uh, why is White Heart here?"

Blanc looked at Red with interest. "Well, first off, this is my room. Second off, why are _you_ here? After all, you're supposed to be dead."

Red chuckled. "Touche."

"This is the leader of our resistance and CPU of Lowee, Lady White Heart." Financier explained.

Neptune seemed to be unable to figure out what to do. "Wh-what?"

Red snapped his fingers in front of Neptune's face a few times, to no avail. "I think this turn of events broke down her barely functioning brain..."

Blanc softly coughed into her hand. "You still haven't answered my question..."

Red glanced at Blanc. "Oh, right. I'm immortal. And for the record, I would've kicked your ass if you hadn't all ganged up on me."

Blanc smirked slightly. "Oh, I highly doubt that."

Red chuckled. "I like her. She's quiet." Red looked at Neptune, who was still not functioning. "Well, I tried. So, I'm guessing this is the real White Heart, and the one we saw in the Basilicom is a fake?"

Financier nodded. "Exactly."

Neptune seemed to recover. "Hey! Red, what in the heck are you talking about?!"

Compa nodded in agreement. "It would help if you explained to us what you're talking about."

Red sighed. "Right. So, remember Arfoire, and her powers to copy? Well, I'm sure she used her powers to make herself look exactly like the real White Heart, and if the real one's right in front of us, and not where she belongs, I'm pretty sure it's safe to say that the same thing happened to her and her powers as what happened to Vert in Leanbox."

Vert laughed nervously. "Let's not bring that up, shall we?"

Red grinned. "Too late."

Blanc blinked. "Wait a minute, I know that voice... Vert, is that you?! Why are you here?"

Vert giggled as she took off her glasses. "I came for Red and Iffy...I mean, I came to help Neptune and pay Conversation a visit."

Blanc's gaze shifted over to Neptune. "So, the runt next to you is..."

Neptune waved happily. "I may not remember, but... Hey, Blanc! Long time, no see!"

"So, you're here to fight me for position in the Console War..."

Red sighed. "Actually, that's no the case. In fact, she can't remember a thing from before the fall."

Blanc blinked. "Really?"

Red nodded. "So, why not be friends?"

Blanc smiled. "Why not? I see no reason to doubt you."

"Lady Blanc, they're impressive allies, are they not?"

Blanc nodded. "True. I don't think I could have asked for anyone better. But, this is Lowee's issue. I can't have other CPUs helping me. I'll figure out a way to solve everything."

Red rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that'll go well..." Suddenly, a tremor rocked the entire building for a few seconds. "Shit, that can't be good."

Suddenly, a girl ran into the room. "Lady Blanc, we're in trouble."

"What's the problem?"

"The Basilicom is attacking us."

Red blinked. "Well, this whole situation escalated quickly..."

* * *

Everyone quickly raced outside, while Neptune noticed something. "You okay, Blanc? You look kinda pale..."

"It's because my Shares are down... But, I can handle this."

Red glanced at Blanc. "Don't push yourself too hard."

"I know..."

Red opened his mouth, only to get interrupted. "So you finally came out. You fake."

"I'll send those words straight back at you."

"Hah! Talking tough as usual? I'll exterminate you along with those heretics around you." Blanc's doppelganger smirked. "Come, Killachine. Destroy them, city and all!"

It was at this point that Red stopped listening because, let's be honest, these conversations are pretty fucking boring to listen to over and over. It was when Blanc, along with Neptune and Vert, transformed, that Red unsheathed his swords, and idly stood around until the Killachine let out a mechanical roar. _About fucking time._

The Killachine brought it's mace down on Red, who blocked it, although it's strength was much more than Red had predicted, and as such, it forced him to one knee. "Oh, that's new..." Red sighed as his body was enveloped in a black aura, getting back to his feet, and pushed the mace away, a grin forming on his face. "Alright, let's get-" Red was cut off as the mace slammed into his side, sending him flying. Red stopped as he slammed into the ground, making a crater. Red sighed again as he stood up, an unamused look on his face, while he sheathed his swords. "Okay, let's try something different..." The aura around Red slowly grew brighter, changing from black to grey. "So, as I was saying... Let's get serious." Red snapped his fingers, teleporting above the Killachine, and kicked what appeared to be the head of the machine. It shot back, the whole machine staggering. It focused on Red one he landed, and brought the axe down on him, Red catching the blade in an instant, the look on his face was one of disinterest. "Soon, you'll be nothing but scrap." And with that, he shattered the axe's blade.

The Killachine brought back its mace, and swung at Red, only for him to disappear. Red punched the Killachine from behind, his fist running through the metal like it was wet paper. The mechanical beast roared again, and turned, swinging its mace at Red. Red glanced at the mace, and stepped back, the mace missing him by a few inches. "Too slow." Red jumped forward, and ran up to the head of the Killachine, grabbed it, and pulled up, ripping it from its body. The body stopped, then fell to the ground. Red sighed as he landed, his aura dissipating into smoke. "Well, that went a bit differently from Lastation..." Red looked at the remains of the machine, and tilted his head to the side in thought. "I wonder what the thing was made of..." Red shrugged, and began walking back to the building they were in prior to being attacked. "Meh, I'm tired, I might as well get some rest..."

* * *

Red yawned as he sat down in a convenient chair. He was tired enough to the point where he would be able to sleep in that chair. And he was intent on doing so, nearly in the realms of dreams, until someone spoke to him. "You."

Red cracked one eye open, and saw Blanc standing in front of him. "Hi. What do you want?" Red closed his eye again, trying to get comfortable.

"You said you're immortal. Right?" Red nodded. "So exactly how old are you?"

Red sighed. "Around 36,000. What's with all the questions?"

"Oh, no reason, I just want to know more about you."

Red opened his eye again. "Yeah, because getting to know a person that you tried to kill makes _perfect_ sense."

"Hey, that's in the past. Besides, your kinda helping me get my nation back."

Red sighed again. "True. But still, why?"

"You're not very smart when it comes to people, are you?"

Red shrugged. "I tend to try to avoid people, so, yeah."

It was Blanc's turn to sigh. "Great. I'm trying to apologize to you."

"For what?"

"Are you really that stupid? For what happened up in Celestia."

"Oh, that. Like you said, it's in the past. Besides, it's not like I hold grudges. Unless you hurt people I care about."

"Oh. Well, that's that off my mind." A few moments of silence. "Hey, what's your favorite color?"

Red sighed yet again. "You know, you can leave now..."

"Yeah, but the only other thing I would have to do is read."

"What kinda stuff do you read?"

"I'd rather not answer that."

Red shrugged, and got up from the chair. "Well, as much as I would love for this conversation to continue, I just remembered that I owe Neptune a favor..."

Blanc stared at Red for a few seconds. "When did this happen?"

"While we were running from the Basilicom. She wanted me to carry her, but I said no, and made Noble carry her. And now I have to do...anything...she wants... Shit..."


	25. Neptune's Favor

Red wandered around for a bit, not really sure where Neptune would be. After a few minutes, he came across the two brothers and Noble, and from the way they were all laughing, Red thought it safe to assume that they were having a conversation that only they would understand. Red sighed, walking up to the trio. _Might as well ask if they've seen Neptune._ "Hey, Noble, other guys, have any of you seen Neptune around? I'm looking for her."

Red smirked as the laughter died immediately. Noble was the one to answer. "Uh, I think she's with the other girls." Noble pointed vaguely down a hall.

Red patted Noble on the shoulder. "Thanks."

As Red walked away he heard the brothers whispering to Noble. "Man, how are you able to talk to him so easily?"

"He scares me..."

"Eh, he's actually a pretty cool guy once you get to know him. I mean, the first time we met, he saved me from a beating."

Red smiled as he walked out of earshot of the trio. _Now, to find the girls._ Red walked down the hall until he could hear the voices of his harem. _Hm, I wonder what they could be talking about._ Red leaned against the wall next to the door, eavesdropping.

Vert's voice sounded concerned. "Iffy, Compa, I'm sorry if I sound a bit rude but... What do you two think of Red's mental condition?"

"I'm sorry my lady, but is that a rhetorical question?"

"Iffy, I'm just concerned about everybody's safety, that's all. After all, you know what he would have done to Conversation back at Leanbox."

"Yeah, but..."

"Iffy, please, just tell me your thoughts on his mental stability."

Having decided that Red had heard enough of the conversation, he knocked on the door. "Girls, you in there?"

"Oh, Red, come on in."

Red opened the door, seeing Vert, IF, and Compa. Vert looked calm, IF was staring at her lap, and Compa looked oblivious as usual. "So, do any of you know where Neptune is? I kinda owe her a favor..."

"I think she said she was going for a walk outside."

Red blinked. "Huh, that's honestly unexpected. I mean, all she usually does to pass the time is eat, sleep, or play video games." Red back out of the doorway, closing the door. "Now to get this out of the way..." Red exited the building, confident that he would find Neptune soon, and if he didn't, he might as well see if he could find a bar. After about five minutes of searching, Red could see Neptune, sitting on a bench, looking up at the sky. He blinked. This was definitely new. As Red walked up to the bench Neptune was sitting on, he got the feeling that something was weighing heavily on Neptune's mind. "So, mind if I have a seat?"

Neptune looked like she snapped back to reality as she glanced at Red. "Oh, hey..."

Red sighed as he sat down next to Neptune. "So, what's eating at ya?"

"What makes you say that?"

Red chuckled. "Two- Wait, no, three things. First, you're outside. Second, you're quiet. And finally, there's no sign of pudding anywhere near here."

Neptune giggled. "You got me there..."

"Now, tell me what's bothering you."

Neptune took a deep breath. "Well, I guess it's finally sinking in for me that... You're not always gonna be here..."

Red sighed again. "Yeah... Honestly, I'm hoping we all make it through this adventure before I leave..."

"Why's that?"

"Simple. That way, nobody's gonna know when I disappear..."

"What do you mean?"

"Neptune, if I somehow make it to the end of this adventure, I'm probably gonna take off, live somewhere nobody's gonna find."

"Why?"

"It's the best time to leave. You're gonna have your memory, and we'll help the other CPU's with their nations. There won't be any need for me left..."

"Red..."

Red sighed. This conversation was draining him. "Enough about all that sad stuff. So, remember that favor I owe you?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

"I figured I might as well get it out of the way. So, what's it gonna be?"

Neptune looked up at the sky for a few seconds before she smiled. "Kiss me."

Red blinked. "Come again?"

Neptune moved, and sat on his lap, facing him with a smile on her face. "Kiss me."

Red rolled his eyes. "Fine." Red moved his head in, and gave her a quick peck on the lips. "There. Happy?"

Neptune pouted and shook her head. "No. Kiss me the same way you kiss the other girls."

Red raised a brow. "You sure?" Neptune nodded, and Red sighed. "Okay then..." Red moved in quickly, capturing Neptune's lips, his tongue snaking into her mouth, completely dominating her. Eventually, Red pulled back from the kiss, a thin strand of saliva connected from Red's mouth to Neptune's for a few seconds. "Satisfied?"

Neptune blinked a few times, blushing furiously. "Oh, uh... Not exactly..."

Red sighed. "Neptune, I kissed you, don't try to add more to the-"

"No, it's nothing like that. Red... There's something that I really wanna tell you..."

Red's eyes widened for a second, and he gulped. "R-really? And what would that be?" _Neptune I swear to any and every deity I know of, if you confess to me_ now _, I will-_

"Red... I-I..." Neptune gulped, and pulled Red into a hug. "I l-love you!"

There it was. Now, at this point in time Red had two options. The first option was to reject Neptune's love, and push her toward Noire, and just hope that Noire's comfort would be enough for Neptune to fall for her. The second option was to accept Neptune's feelings, and ultimately destroy Noire's heart, hope that Noire would only try to kill Red and not... Yeah, let's not think about that. Red's mind was in turmoil, split between hurting two people he cared about. Red sighed internally, and decided to ask a question. "So, how long have you been feeling this way about me?" Red needed a conversation to help organize his thoughts.

"A little while after we came back from Leanbox."

"Huh..." Red sighed. "Well, we should probably get back inside. I'm sure the others are wondering where we are by now..."

"Aww, can't we stay like this a little bit longer?"

Red sighed again. "Fine. But only for a few minutes."

"Yay!"

* * *

Red sighed as he entered the building, a sleeping Neptune in his arms. "Honestly, I rest my eyes for a few seconds, and you're crashed out right on top of me... What am I going to do...?" _Neptune finally confessed to me... Well, it could be worse. A_ lot _worse. I mean, Noire could find out about-_ Red's eyes widened as the full weight of the situation came crashing down right on top of him. Neptune had just confessed to him, and he didn't say anything that would even remotely suggest that he wasn't interested in her. And knowing Neptune, she was going to see that as a green light. And once they crossed paths with Noire again, Neptune would let it slip that she and the other girls were a part of Red's harem, and not only would Noire hate Red for taking Neptune, she would see Red as a terrible person, if she didn't already. Red sighed again, as he walked to the room that contained his harem. "Girls, you in there?" Silence. Red sighed, and moved Neptune to open the door. The room was empty, and the lights were off. Red flipped the switch on the wall, and walked over to the bed, and placed Neptune down gently. "Sweet dreams..." Red quietly slipped out of the room, flipping the light switch off, and shutting the door quietly. "Maybe I should give Noire a call... No, if I tell her now, there's no telling what she'd do..." Red sighed. "Why did this have to happen?" Red leaned against the wall, his body slowly sliding down the wall until he was sitting, looking at the floor. After a few minutes, a pair of feet walked into his field of vision.

"You look like you're having some problems." Red looked up, and saw Blanc staring at him with her usual blank expression.

Red chuckled sadly. "Yeah, I guess you could say that..."

Blanc walked over and sat down next to him. "So, what's the problem?"

Red sighed as he looked up at the ceiling. "Well, Neptune just confessed her love to me, so, yeah..."

"That doesn't sound that bad. I mean, it is Neptune we're talking about here, but it could be worse."

"That's not the problem. The problem is that Noire is in love with her."

"Oh. Well, that's not good for anybody involved."

"Yeah. I think there's only two actions she's going to take. She's either going to try to kill me. Or she's..." Red felt the words die in his throat. He didn't want to finish that sentence.

"Well, I'm not really sure how these kind of situations should be solved, so I guess you're on your own. But, if it helps at all, here." Blanc scooted closer to Red, and pulled him into a one-armed hug. After a minute of silence, she spoke up again. "Is it helping?"

Red smiled. "Not really, but it's the thought that counts. Besides, I'm sure I'll find some solution. Somehow..."

* * *

Red sighed as he looked up at the ceiling. He was currently in bed, although he was pretty sure he wasn't going to be getting any sleep any time soon. Instead he got to his feet, and left his room. As he walked through the halls he took out his flask, and chugged, draining the flask quickly. Red walked outside, his eyes practically glued to the sky. He could feel that this adventure wasn't going to end happily for everyone. For what felt like the billionth time in his life, Red had wished he had never been born. It seemed like all he ever did was bring complications and suffering.


	26. Eshaustion and A Choice

Red yawned as he struggled to stay awake. It seemed that his walking and thinking had cost him quite a bit of sleep. As his eyes began drooping, he vaguely heard the sound of footsteps. Lightly slapping himself to stay awake, Red's eyes slowly found the source of the footsteps. IF looked at Red with concern clearly etched on her face. "Oh... Hey Iffy. Find anything useful?"

"Yeah, I did. But you don't look so good..."

Red yawned again. "Oh, it's nothing. I'm just a bit tired..."

"If by a little, you mean that you look ready to collapse from exhaustion. Red, when was the last time you slept for more than a few hours?"

Red blinked. "How long have we been in Lowee?"

IF sighed. "That's it, you're taking the rest of today, and tomorrow off."

"No. The sooner we get things done, the sooner I can rest."

IF glared at Red with worry and frustration in her eyes. "Red, in your current condition, I'm pretty sure that even Compa would be able to beat you."

Red chuckled a bit. "Iffy, you and I both know that's a bit of an exaggeration."

"I don't know. I'm positive that I could beat you."

Red met IF's glare with one of his own. "Oh? Is that a challenge?"

IF smirked as she walked up to Red, and looked him square in the eyes. At least, she attempted to. It was a bit awkward, considering the difference between the height of the two. "You know what? I think it is."

Red grinned. "Alright then, let's have a quick little match. First one to lose consciousness or surrenders is the loser. If you win, I'll take today and tomorrow off. If I win, we're getting things done. Agreed?"

It was IF's turn to grin, determination clear in her eyes. "Agreed. I'll be sure to think of a few places that can help you unwind."

Red chuckled. "Right. I just hope you won't be too mad at me when you wake up."

* * *

The two had gone outside, and found a good spot that wouldn't disturb anybody. They were standing a good distance away from each other, both of them wearing a look of confidence. Red was gripping his sword tightly. He really had to end the fight fast, or IF was going to win without question. "Ready?"

IF smirked. "Always." And with that, the two rushed towards each other, and clashed.

"Shit, I guess I really _am_ tired." Red grinned as his arms were pushed away, IF forcing an opening, and dashing straight at Red, getting a couple of slashes off of him before jumping back to avoid a strike. "C'mon, can't you hold back just a little bit, Iffy?" Red felt his blood dripping from the slash wounds.

"You'll be fine. I mean, you _are_ immortal."

Red sighed. "Yeah..." Red rushed forward, swinging at IF. She jumped forward, parrying away Red's blade, and sunk her own into his chest. "Fuck."

IF jumped over Red, a grin on her face. "So, ready to admit that you're too tired to even beat me?"

Red chuckled, a bit of blood dripping from his mouth. "Not even close."

"Alright. Don't say I didn't give you a chance." IF dashed toward Red again, ducking beneath a kick Red sent at her, slicing at his leg, then lunging forward, aiming for Red's throat. Red narrowly blocked the strike, jumping back to avoid any more damage.

 _Great. Hey, Broken, think you can take the reigns for a bit?_

 ** _"Nope."_**

 _Why the fuck not?  
_

 ** _"Because, you know that I don't hold back."_**

 _Good point._ Red sighed. This wasn't looking good for him. Suddenly, IF was in front of him, a wicked smirk on her face, as she slashed at his chest. Red internally sighed, and jumped forward, bringing up his blades to block the strikes. IF slashed his arms, which made it even harder to block, and delivered a kick to his stomach. Yeah, maybe it would be better if Red just cut his losses and called it quits. _Yeah, that's probably the best course of-_ Red's train of thought was derailed once IF stabbed him in the shoulder. Red took the opportunity to grab IF's arm, and throw her away from him, her weapon still lodged in his shoulder. "Okay, Iffy, I know what you're thinking. 'Should I aim for his throat next?' And the answer may surprise you..."

IF blinked. "Actually, I was gonna aim for your other shoulder. But the throat does seem like a good target, especially since you're immortal."

Red groaned internally. "Well, I guess it's do or die at this point..." Red sighed as he began to walk forward, his eyes set to the ground. "Into The Nothing..."

IF's eyes widened. "Hey, that's not fair!"

Red said nothing as he kept walking, and once he was within range, he swiped IF's weapon out of her hand, and unleashed a barrage of thrusts. Small, shallow cuts opened across IF's body, cutting through her clothes in the process. Once Red stepped past IF, he collapsed to his knees, the gashes opening across his body, blood soaking through his clothes. As he fell, he managed to glance back, and was shocked to see that IF, while she was struggling, was still standing. Red sighed as his vision faded to black. "Well, I guess you win..."

* * *

Red sighed as the floated through the void, hoping to find Histoire's voice. _Histy, you there?_ As the silence filled the void, Red sighed, wondering if Histoire would even respond.

Then he heard a giggle. "Well, you've certainly been busy since we last spoke."

Red blinked. _How do you mean?_

"Maybe the fact that you have a harem of four right now?"

 _What do you mean? I only have Vert, Compa, and Iffy._

"I do believe that you are forgetting a certain Goddess..."

Red blinked, trying to figure out who Histoire could be talking about, before his eyes widened. _No, Neptune is_ not _part of my harem! If she is, that means that Noire's going to be heart broken once she finds out about Neptune!_

"Well, there might be a way to make sure that doesn't happen..."

Red nearly shouted with happiness with the idea of not having to go through all that bullshit. _Really? What is it?_

"Get them both into your harem."

And it was at that moment that Red knew... He fucked up. _God fucking dammit. Is that the only way you can think of?  
_

"I apologize if this suggestion is not satisfactory."

 _No, it's okay Histy._ Red sighed, hoping to wake up soon. And on cue, the void around him was filing with a bright white. _Well, I guess I'll see you the next time I get fucked up._ Red waved as he woke up.

* * *

Red opened his eyes, groaning. "Honestly, I should probably try to figure out why I'm able to talk to Histoire without the Key Fragment..."

"Oh, awake already? You should sleep a while longer."

Red would have sat up, if he hadn't felt the weight on his chest. "Iffy, are you on top of me?"

"Nah, that's Neptune. She saw you were asleep and decided to use you as a pillow. It was actually pretty cute."

Red looked down, and saw Neptune sleeping peacefully. "Yeah, she's definitely a lot cuter when she's asleep. Hey, Iffy, since I'm kinda forced to take the rest of today, and tomorrow off, you wouldn't happen to have any plans for us, would you?"

IF blushed, and looked away. "Well, it's not like I really had the chance to think about what we would do for the rest of the day. But on the bright side, I know for a fact what you're going to do tomorrow."

Red blinked. "Really? So, today I'm just going to do nothing. So what's on the agenda for tomorrow?"

IF grinned, and pulled out what looked like a coupon from her coat. "Read and rejoice." IF had a smug smile on her face as she passed the coupon to Red.

Red shrugged as he skimmed through the coupon. "Couple's get half off on any purchase of their choosing." Red turned the coupon over, curious of the business the coupon was advertising. "Iffy, are you using the bet as an excuse to make me bring you to the hot springs?" Red looked up, and deadpan expression on his face.

IF sighed. "No, you can bring anybody you want with you, but just make sure that you go, _and_ that you bring somebody with you. Okay?"

Red sighed, and nodded, placing the coupon in his pocket. "I'll be sure to do that."

IF smiled. "Good." IF sighed as she moved to walk out of the room. "Red, I'm only making you do this because I care about you. If you had been able to beat me today, I would have dropped the entire thing. But it's becoming clear that you're overworking yourself." With that, she walked out.

Red sighed again. "She may be right, but it doesn't mean I have to like it..."

"Eh, I'm sure that you'll be fine..."

Red looked down, and chuckled as he saw Neptune nuzzle into his chest. "So, how long have you been awake?"

Neptune yawned adorably. "Just a little bit after you woke up."

Red chuckled again. "So, you heard about the hot springs?" Neptune nodded lazily, her eyes still closed. "So, I'm guessing that you're going to plead with me to take you with me?"

"And ruin the moment? Not in a million years." Well, what do you know? Looks like Neptune could be serious when the moment called for it. "Nah, you can take whoever you want. I mean, it's not like I have you all to myself, right?"

And it was at that moment that Red began wondering who he would take to the hot springs. Of course, there was IF, Compa, and Vert. The three that were without a doubt in his harem. Then there was Neptune, maybe the best choice _was_ to bring her into his harem.

Then again, maybe he needed a beak from all that, and just needed somebody to talk to. If that were the case, maybe Noble or Blanc would be the better choices. Red sighed. Thinking about this was going to give him a headache. Although it would be better if he could just decide on this damned choice.

Red was brought out from his musings when Neptune moved, bringing her head up to rest at the crook of his neck. "Comfortable?" Red smirked, unable to look down to see her head. He felt her nod, and that was all the confirmation he needed. "Alright, well, just let me know if you need anything, alright." Another nod, and then stillness.

Hm, now he would be able to think in peace. So, here was the million dollar question; who was Red going to take to the hot springs?


	27. A Day With Blanc

**AN: And the winner of the poll is Blanc. At least she won't try to have sex with Red. Anyway, onto the story!**

* * *

Red sighed as he looked at the ticket. After a short nap with Neptune, Red had spent the rest of the day wondering who he should take to the hot springs. In the end, he had decided that he needed to relax, and Blanc seemed to be good at doing that. After all, she was only loud when she was angry, so Red should be fine. So, as Red woke from the long sleep he had been forced into by a certain Guild agent, he groggily moved through the building, hoping to bump into Blanc somewhere, and even if he couldn't, he would just ask Financier. After all, she was Blanc's chamberlain, who else would know where the usurped CPU would be.

Thankfully, he didn't have to ask, and found Blanc in her room, reading. What a surprise. "Hey, Blanc, I have this coupon for the hot springs that Iffy gave me, and since you don't seem to have anything better to do, I was wondering if you might want to go with me."

Blanc blinked, and looked up from her book. "Really? What does the coupon say?"

Red sighed, a faint blush forming on his face. "Well, it says that couples' get half off on any purchase. So, y'know, if your interested. I mean, I'm not pressuring you or anything."

Blanc tilted her head for a minute, with her eyes closed, seeming to be pondering the question. Then she nodded, a small smile on her face. "Yeah, that would be nice."

Red smiled. "Glad to hear it. So, whenever you're ready, we'll-" Red was interrupted as Blanc took a hold of his sleeve, and began to pull him along. "Wait, we're going _now_?"

Blanc nodded. "Of course. No matter what hour of the day, it's a perfect time to go to the hot springs."

Red sighed. "Right. Well, I'm just glad that whatever it is we're deciding on is half off." _And the best part is that Blanc's not going to want me inside of her._

* * *

Red and Blanc entered the building, both with a smile on their face. For Red, it was a time to relax, and not have Neptune or any of the other girls on top of him. And Red assumed that Blanc was just happy to have an excuse to go to the hot springs. Red looked down at the coupon in his hands, and let out a chuckle. Just seeing their resident CPU, along with a stranger, and the couples' coupon. Yeah, the people were going to have a field day with that bit. "So, Blanc, you have any-"

"Red, we're at the hot springs. What else would we be getting?"

Red chuckled. "Yeah, that's true. So, I guess I'll be seeing you after a while."

Blanc blinked, and glanced at Red. "What do you mean?"

"Uh, we're not going to be in the same place. Right?"

"Actually, we are. After all, this place is somewhat small. So, it has mixed bathing."

Red blinked. "Oh. Well, good thing I found that out _before_ we got into the water."

Blanc giggled. "Although I'm sure that would have been a pleasant surprise for you."

Red coughed awkwardly into his hand. "Yeah, well... Let's..." Red coughed again.

"Of course."

* * *

Red sighed in contentment as he felt the hot water engulf his body. "Yeah, that's what I'm talking about." Red closed his eyes, and let himself enjoy the sensation.

"I take it that it's been a while since you've had this sort of luxury?"

Red cracked open an eye, and took in the scene of Blanc with only a towel covering her body. "You could say that again. The last time I was able to enjoy hot water was before we got to Lowee."

"That's unfortunate. I'm glad I could help you unwind." Blanc moved to the water, testing the temperature by dipping her toes in. "That's about right."

Red's eyes nearly flew open as Blanc removed her towel, revealing her petite body. _Yeah, I would tap that._ "So, do you have the opportunity to enjoy this often, y'know, _before_ the whole 'doppelganger replacing you' thing."

Blanc slipped into the water, settling next to Red, a look of bliss on her face. "No, having to run a nation really got in the way of being able to just go out, and enjoy myself for a while."

Red chuckled. "Yeah, not being able to just get out and enjoy life isn't really something I like. That's why I could never be in charge of anything."

Blanc blinked, looking at Red. "I'm sure you would do a decent job."

Red chuckled again. "I wouldn't be so sure of that. The only thing I really seem to be useful for is fighting. I can't really negotiate, due to the fact that my emotions are like a bull in a china shop."

"I'm sure it's not that bad. I mean, you can't be any worse than me when I'm angry..." Blanc looked away, blushing.

"Yeah, no. What would you do if somebody insulted your friends?"

"I would probably yell at them, and maybe punch them in the face."

"Right. I would break their fingers one by one."

Blanc blinked. "Well, that's a bit much..."

"Told you. I can't lead. My choices are affected too much by the way I feel. A real leader would make the choice that would be the best for everybody." Red sighed. "Funny. We came here to relax, and now we're talking about things that are the cause of a lot of stress." Red sunk deeper into the water until it reached his chin.

"Well, maybe we should just talk about different things."

"Yeah, like what?"

"Like ourselves. You know, getting to know each other better."

Red shrugged. "Eh, why not? So, what do you like to do for fun?"

"Well, I usually read or write. But since I don't really have much time, my writing hasn't really taken off yet..."

"Really? Well, if you could lend me something of yours, I would be happy to critique it. I mean, I enjoy reading."

Blanc smiled. "That sounds nice. So, what do you enjoy eating the most?"

Red blinked. "Well, for me, as long as it doesn't taste like garbage, I'm fine with it."

"So, you wouldn't have a problem eating something somebody made, even if it was their first time cooking?"

Red deadpanned. "Well, if they were following instructions, then I'm sure it couldn't be that bad. But if they were doing it from scratch? Hell has a better chance of freezing over."

Blanc blinked. "Wow, that's really harsh..."

"Well, most people can't really toast a piece of bread without burning it. So why should I trust them with something bigger?" Red sighed. "Let's just say that I had a bad experience with cooking one time, and it really fucked my perceptions over."

"Really? What happened?"

Red felt a shiver go down his spine, despite the heat around his body. "Well, a friend of mine was celebrating something, decided to prepare dinner, and everybody else that ate had to get their stomach pumped."

"That bad?"

Red nodded, having to swallow the bit of bile climbing his throat. "Yeah, so, if we could get onto another topic?"

Blanc nodded. "Right, well, what was your family-"

"Next question." Red was trying to relax, not think about stressful things.

"O-okay then... What are your hobbies?"

"Sleeping, fighting, or wandering around aimlessly."

"That's..."

"Yeah, I'm not a really interesting person..." Red sighed.

"Well, I was going to say 'strange', but whatever." Blanc looked up, and seemed to be trying to think of something to ask. "Oh, if you could change anything in your life, what would it be?"

"Nothing. If there's anything I've learned, it's that you don't fuck with time, because you don't know what the fuck's gonna happen. I mean, you not wearing shorts one day could lead to you losing your eyes." Red sighed again. "I think it'd be better if we just enjoy this, and not say a thing."

Blanc opened her mouth, then closed it, and nodded.

* * *

Red and Blanc had spent a while in the hot springs, but they had to leave, and so the two were currently in Blanc's room, with Blanc searching through her room to find a piece of literature that she made, and Red just idly looking around. "Ah, here it is." As the words brought Red out of his boredom, he saw that she was holding a hard-cover book, and a thick one at that. "Well, I usually have something on hand, but since today was different, this will have to do."

Red blinked. "Wait, you have books that you keep on hand, in case somebody wants to read something?" Blanc nodded, as if it were completely natural. "Okay then. Well, I guess I'll see how it is then." Red put his hand on the book, and tried to bring it up. But Blanc's grip was tight, and she was looking him straight in the eye.

"When you finish reading, you are going to be completely honest on what you thought of it, okay?"

Red nodded. "Sure."

* * *

Five hours. That was how long it took Red to finish the book from cover to cover. And those were five long hours. The book had almost no creativity, the character might as well have been made out of fucking cardboard, the romance was forced beyond reason, and every time Red thought the book was coming to a close, a new villain appeared with no previous foreshadowing whatsoever. In short, it was fucking terrible. And not in the way where it's so bad that it's good. No, this had to have been the most atrocious piece of literature he had ever read, and that was saying something, considering how old he was.

"So, what did you think of it?" Blanc smiled, having no idea how much Red had to force himself to get to the end of the book.

Red took in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "Well, you told me to be honest, so that's what I'm going to be." Red held up the book, and pointed at it. "This has to be, without a _single_ doubt in my mind, the absolute _worst_ thing I have ever read. There were so many betrayals, that I had to go back, and make sure that they weren't villains to begin with. And don't even get me started on the main heroes. Mikhail was so boring, that whenever he was speaking, I skipped through the entire conversation, and I was _still_ able to follow the story, if it could _even_ be called that, without any problems. And Lisa was absolutely fucking _useless_ , and the entire time, it was made as if she was the only reason that the party could get through the journey in the first place. But the worst part, the absolute _worst_ part, was when they were _both_ betrayed by their lovers, once the whole thing was over, they were all over each other, and they had _barely_ spoken to each other throughout the entire fucking thing!" Red was panting at this point, his whole face was flushed with pent up anger. "And the last thing. You had a fucking _D_ _eus Ex Machina_ throughout the _entire_ story, and not _once_ was it used! You might as well not even written this piece of garbage to begin with!"

"Thank you for your criticism." Blanc said with her usual blank stare.

Red blinked. He had just ripped her story to shreds, and she was thanking him on doing so? "Uh, yeah, sure..."

Blanc waved dismissively. "You can go do whatever it is yo usually do at this time."

Red sighed, and tossed the book to the floor. "Right..." Red left, and pinched the bridge of his nose. "God dammit, why was it so fucking terrible? Was it like that on purpose?" Red walked through the building, his anger slowly dissipating.


	28. A Not So Happy Reunion

Red yawned as he stretched, a content smile on his face. Yeah, the past two days of relaxing had definitely helped. But there were evil organizations that needed to be stopped, and that meant kicking things into gear. Red walked through the building, looking for IF. After all, she had information on Avenir.

After a few minutes of searching, Red found IF, and whistled to get her attention. "Hey, Iffy."

IF blinked, and turned, a smile growing on her face as her eyes landed on Red. "Oh, there you are. I was beginning to wonder if you were awake yet."

Red chuckled. "Yeah, I think I'm starting to understand why Neptune usually lazes around all day. It's a lot less stressful on your body."

IF let out a giggle. "As long as you don't get as bad as her."

"Oh, that would be bad. Anyway, you had some information on Avenir. I think it would be great if I knew what it was."

IF nodded. "Right. Well, the Basilicom is expecting weapons from Avenir soon."

Red blinked, then crossed his arms. "How soon are we talking?"

"Within the next few days."

Red sighed. "Yeah, this might be a bit of a bitch to deal with. So, where are we heading to make sure the Basilicom doesn't get those weapons?"

"Well, you're probably not gonna like this, but it's at the Avenir No. 2 storage facility."

Red blinked. "Okay, and where exactly is _that_?"

IF deadpanned. "Really? It's in Lastation."

"Oh. Well, shit. I'm not going to be looking forward to this..."

IF blinked, and raised a brow. "Oh, why not?"

Red sighed. "Let's just say that I need to have a conversation with Noire that I'm not looking forwards to..." IF raised a brow, and Red waved it off. "Don't worry, it won't be anything too bad." _Hopefully..._

* * *

Red smiled as he took a deep breath of the Lastation air. Which, looking at the sky, probably wasn't a good idea. But hey, when you're immortal, you don't really care about trivial things like air quality. "It's been a while since we've been here. Honestly, I was wondering when we would be coming back."

Blanc blinked, and looked around. "So, this is Lastation..."

Red nodded, a small smile on his face. "Yep. Is this your first time here?"

"Yes. I never really went anywhere out of Lowee, with the exception of Planeptune."

Red blinked, and raised a brow. "Oh? And what happens in Planeptune that's so important?"

"Well, there's a special event held there twice a year and..." Blanc blinked, then looked like she had realized a mistake that she had made. "Never mind..."

Red grinned. "Event, huh? Sounds _very_ interesting..."

Suddenly, Neptune. "Oh, what's this about an event in Planeptune?"

Blanc glanced at Neptune, and frowned a bit. "Nothing. It's not really important."

Red's eyes were filled with mischief. "Really? I thought it was the reason you went to Planeptune in the first place?"

Blanc glared at him. "Shut up."

Red chuckled. "C'mon, it can't be that bad, can it?" Red was immediately met with a fist to his stomach, knocking the air out of his lungs. "Right... I'll shut up now." Red groaned internally as he felt something adjust itself in his torso. _Wait, what the fuck did she hit?!_

"Ah, please, Blanc? I really wanna know what it is." Neptune looked at Blanc with puppy eyes.

Blanc rolled her eyes. "I honestly doubt you would understand."

Red sighed as he looked between the pleading Neptune and Blanc. "Right. Well, as much as I would enjoy hearing what secrets she's hiding, we came here to get things done."

Neptune pouted, sticking out her tongue at both Blanc and Red. "Killjoys..."

Red rolled his eyes, chuckling. "Whatever. Back to the important things, maybe we can ask Noire for help on this." _Or, at the very least, break the news to her._

Instantly, Neptune's pout disappeared, replaced with a grin. "Hey, that's a great idea! After all, she's probably all by herself right now."

Red sighed. "You're really driving that into the dirt, aren't you?"

Neptune giggled, and grinned. "Yep!"

Red sighed again. "Whatever. Let's just get to the Basilicom already. I really don't want to linger any longer than we have to."

"Why not? It's not like Avenir is spying on us every chance they have."

"Maybe not, but I'd rather not take any risks."

Neptune pouted again. "Okay, Mr. Paranoid..."

* * *

Red and the rest of the party stood outside the Basilicom. "So, anybody got any ideas on how to get inside without alarms going off?"

Blanc blinked, and turned to Red. "Wait, I thought we were coming here for Noire's help."

Red nodded. "We are, the only problem is that the entire Basilicom is run by Avenir, and they kinda want us dead. So, you know, there's that to worry about..."

Noble grinned. "Well, looks like this is my time to shine."

Red raised a brow. "Oh, and what exactly do you mean by that?"

"Well, I'm the most generic looking one here. So, I can just go in there, and nobody would bat an eye."

Red blinked, and hummed in thought. "That may be true. But, just in case something happens, I feel like somebody should go in there with you. Somebody that this part of Avenir doesn't know about." Red glanced over to Vert and Blanc. "Hm..." Then he glanced between Noble and Blanc. "Hey, Noble, you have any little sisters?"

Noble blinked. "Uh, no, why?"

Red grinned. "You do now. You two look similar enough to pass off as family. So, get in there and see if you can't get to Noire."

Noble gave a salute, grinning. "Aye, captain."

Red rolled his eyes as the two entered the Basilicom.

* * *

After about five minutes, Noble and Blanc emerged from the Basilicom looking dejected. "Well, that was a total bust..."

Red tilted his head. "I'm taking it that they were assholes?" Noble and Blanc nodded in unison. Red sighed. "Okay then, time for plan B."

Everyone looked at Red with a hint of worry on their faces. "And what exactly is plan B?" IF crossed her arms, a stern look on her face.

Red waved it off. "Don't worry about it. It's not like anybody who'll recognize me will be saying anything."

IF glared, fire in her eyes. "Red..."

Red chuckled. "Don't worry, I won't kill anyone." _I'm just gonna fuck them up a bit._ Red walked, and entered the Basilicom, a smirk on his face. He approached the first person he saw, and asked politely, "Excuse me, Black Heart wouldn't happen to be in at the moment, would she?"

The man glanced at Red, and sighed. "Not another one... No, she isn't here at the moment, so if you would please leave..."

Red smiled. "Okay then. Hey, what exactly is it that you do around here?"

The man growled, "I can tell you what I _don't_ do. My job isn't to hand out information like candy, got it?"

Red held up his hands defensively. "Hey, no need to get snappy at me, I was just making small talk. So, I'm just gonna go ahead and assume that you listen to requests from people, and decide whether or not their worth Black Heart's time? If that's the case, your not really that important, are you?"

"Wha-" The man was cut off as Red unsheathed his sword, and placed it close to the man's throat, ready to kill him..

Red grinned as the man's mouth opened, likely to scream in alarm. "Ah, ah, ah. I wouldn't make a sound if I were you, after all, I still have my sword pressed against your neck. And with a few simple movements, I could easily have your head rolling on the floor.. So, would you be a dear and lead me to Black Heart? You know, in case you value your life."

The man nodded, deciding that life was more important than alerting the rest of the Basilicom of the intruder. "Just get this sword away from me, and I'll show you the way."

"Sure thing, buddy." Red removed the sword from the man's throat. "Now, get to it."

The man nodded, and lead the way to Noire's door. "Here it is. She should be inside, but don't expect her to listen to what you have to say."

Red chuckled. "Oh, I'm sure she's willing to listen to a friend that she hasn't seen in a while. Now, can't take the risk of you blabbing your mouth."

The man's eyes widened in fear and panic. "But you said-" The man never finished his sentence before Red punched him square in the face, knocking the man out cold.

"Now, how should I go about the rest of this?" Red leaned against the wall next to the door. "Maybe I should knock... Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." Red knocked on the door a few times, waiting for an answer.

"What is it?" Noire's slightly muffled voice asked.

"Well, I was wondering if you could give a friend a few minutes of your time..." Red grinned as he heard a muffled gasp and footsteps hurrying to the door. Once it opened, he saw Noire standing there, a look of shock on her face. "Hey there, miss me?"

"Red, what are you doing here? I thought you were back at Planeptune." Noire ushered Red into the room, and closed the door behind him.

Red shrugged. "It's been a while, and we've done some things since then. For example, I kinda, sorta, might have a harem now..."

Noire blinked. "Oh. Who's in this harem you speak of?" There was a glint of malice in her eyes, and Red could tell what she was thinking.

"So far, there's Iffy, Compa, and Vert."

Noire blinked again. "Wait, you went to Leanbox?"

Red nodded. "Yep, and we just came back from Lowee, so Blanc's with us at the moment. Along with this one guy I found back in Planeptune."

"So, Neptune's not part of this harem, then?"

Red shook his head. "As long as I'm concerned, she isn't. But..."

"But what?"

Red sighed. "Neptune fell in love with me, and she confessed not too long ago."

"What?"

Red sighed again. "Noire, just understand that I didn't want her to care about me. Hell, I didn't want anybody to care about me..." Red turned his attention way from Noire, not wanting to see the look on her face, whatever it may be. "So, yeah, with that out of the way, I was wondering if-"

Red didn't get to finish his sentence as he felt a sword stab through his chest. "H-how could you betray m-me like this...?"

Red turned his attention back to Noire's face, and he as reminded once again that he was a monster. She was crying silently, the tears flowing down her cheeks. "Noire... If it makes you feel any better, I wish this sword was able to kill me..."

"Shut up!" Noire's voice was surprisingly steady, her eyes filled with hatred. "Don't you dare talk to me like you care about my feelings." Noire twisted her sword out of Red's chest, and stabbed him through the throat. "Get the fuck out of here. I don't want to see you ever again." Noire ripped her sword out, and collapsed to the floor, her sword clattering against the floor.

Red reached out a hand to comfort her, but Noire slapped it away, bawling on the floor. Red opened his mouth to say something, but realized it would fall on deaf ears, and walked out of the Basilicom, loathing himself a whole lot more.

"Red! What happened?!" The party rushed over to Red, worry on everybody's face. Red blinked, then looked down, and realized his clothes were covered in blood.

Red sighed, and shook his head. "Guys, I don't think Noire's gonna want to be around me any time soon..."

"What happened?!"

Red chuckled sadly. "I fucked up. That's what happened..."


	29. The Factory

Red sighed before he chugged the rest of the contents within his flask. He sat under the stars, away from the civilization of Lastation. He began wondering how things would be going in this world if he hadn't shown up. They probably would have been going a hell of a lot better, if he was going to be completely honest with himself. He suddenly felt the ground shake beneath him. He lazily looked around, before he settled his sights on a figure he didn't think he would be seeing again. A dragon was lumbering its way to him. "Oh, hey there, girl. How have you been?" The dragon hummed softly. "Yeah, that's good. I haven't been doing too great lately." The dragon blinked, and cocked her head to the side. "Well, let's just say that a friend of mine is really mad at me for something that happened. And, honestly, I can't blame her. I mean, I stole the heart of the person she was in love with, and did nothing to stop those feelings whenever I had the chance." Red sighed again, and looked up into the night sky. "So, now she wants me dead, and I kinda do too, to be honest. But I can't just run away from this. I have to make things right. Somehow..." Red closed his eyes, and felt a himself being pulled into the dragon equivalent of a hug. "Thanks girl, I really need this." Red chuckled. "You know, I don't have anything to call you. Maybe we should fix that." The dragon hummed in what seemed to be approval. "Now, what would be a good name..." Red hummed in thought, before he opened his eyes, and snapped his fingers. "How about Violet?" The dragon hummed again. "Alright then, Violet it is." Suddenly, bright flash of light blinded Red for a few seconds, and after he regained his sight, he noticed that Violet was nowhere to be seen.

That is, until he felt a light weight drop onto his head. He reached up, and plucked the weight off of his head, and held it in front of him. He blinked as he saw what looked to be a chibi dragon. Red chuckled as he pat the now chibified dragon's head, which earned a small sprout of flame. Red had a certain feeling that this was going to be interesting.

* * *

Red could feel everyone in the party, with the exception of IF, staring at him and the chibi that was currently sleeping atop of his head as the party walked through the warehouse. Blanc was the first to comment. "So, I'm guessing that this is going to be a thing now?"

Red nodded. "Yep. Violet's at that size where the people aren't really threatened of her, so she shouldn't be a problem in the cities. But then again, I don't really know about her combat abilities. So that could be a bit of an issue."

"You mean that you just let it into the city without knowing what it's capable of?"

"Of course I did. I mean, do you _not_ see how cute she is?" Red smirked as Blanc let out a sigh. "But in all seriousness, I never really think about these kinds of situations. But in the very least, she can help distract other monsters while we swoop in for the kill."

Blanc smiled softly. "Wow, you have a plan for everything don't you?"

Red chuckled. "Not really. I usually just wing it through life. Occasionally, I think of something beforehand, but that usually goes to shit. That reminds me..." Red glanced at Blanc. "What exactly is the plan when we get to the warehouse?"

Blanc smirked, a proud look on her face. "Simple. We destroy everything that belongs to Avenir."

Red grinned. "Y'know, I really like the sound of that plan."

IF scoffed from Red's side. "Of course you would think that was a good plan. After all, subtlety isn't exactly your strong suit, Red."

Red shrugged. "Well, you can argue with my methods all you want, you can't say that they don't get results."

IF huffed, turning away. "Whatever. Let's just hurry up. We've wasted enough time as it is."

Red chuckled again. "You know, you're adorable when you're irritated." IF blushed heavily, but didn't say anything. Instead, she simply started walking faster. Red sighed. "I just love teasing her..."

* * *

Eventually, the party had found the weapons that they were after. Red glanced around. "Kinda weird that these aren't guarded. But hey, less work for us, right?"

"Oh, I think that you'll find that these weapons are under top of the line surveillance. After all, who would be stupid enough to leave something like these out in the open without any sort of protection?"

Red's eyes widened in fury, and he turned to see Ganache step into open view. "Ganache. Why is it that every time I see your face, I just want to see what it would look like once I'm done with you?"

Ganache chuckled. "You should really get some therapy for your anger issues. After all, if you keep bottling it up, who knows when you'll explode?"

Red growled, his eyes ablaze with rage. "And I think all I need is a good punching bag. Would you like to help test that theory out?"

"I'm afraid I won't be able to help personally, but I think I have just the thing." And with that, a giant Killachine came into view of the party. "I do hope that you'll provide a good test for our latest model. It would be a shame if you were to die too soon."

Red sighed at the sight of the machine. "You know, that reminds me. What are you doing any of this for anyway? I mean, last time you nearly destroyed Lastation, and you're giving supplies to Lowee..." Red blinked, then glared at Ganache. "Wait, don't tell me you're doing this for the reasons that I think you are."

Ganache chuckled again. "If you mean that I'm doing all of this for Lady White Heart, then you'd be correct."

Red growled. "Do you honestly think that any goddess would be pleased with the loss of life?"

"Of course. If it's in her name, Lady white Heart will be happy."

Red growled yet again. Then he glanced at Blanc. "Hey, you don't think that you can talk him out of being a dumbass, do you?"

Blanc nodded, and stepped forward. "I prefer talking over fighting, so hopefully this goes well."

Ganache sighed. "Well, if you're all done talking, I have important matters to attend to..."

Blanc pulled out her hammer, and swung it straight over her head, and unto the ground, resulting with a small crater from the impact." I order you to stop being such a dumbass!"

Ganache let out a feminine shriek as he stepped back, his eyes wide. "W-what makes you think that you can order me around like that!?"

Blanc growled, before she transformed in a flash of light. "Because, I am White Heart!" The color from Ganache's face seemed to drain, and he began to mumble incoherently, until Blanc had enough. "Hey, speak the hell up! I can't hear you!"

Ganache began laughing weakly, his eyes losing a bit of their spark. "Heh, I get it... You're that fake I've been hearing about. Lady White Heart would never be so vulgar!"

Blanc growled. "You got it wrong, dumbass. I'm the real deal. That other bitch is the fake!"

"No! You're wrong!"

Red sighed at the pathetic sight of Ganache in denial. "Man, this is depressingly familiar..." Red glanced at IF, a smug look on his face.

IF glared. "Don't you dare..."

Red just chuckled, and returned his gaze to Ganache, who seemed to be having a mental breakdown, rambling on and on about his perfect Lady White Heart. Deciding that things had gone on long enough for the unstable man, he simply walked past Blanc, and straight up to Ganache, cocked back his fist, and punched him square in the nose.

"Ah!" Ganache fell back onto his ass, looking up at Red, his glasses askew. "When did you... No, that's not important, what's important is killing all of you, Lady White Heart will reward me greatly for getting rid of this fake. Yes..." Ganache chuckled, fixing his glasses and standing up as he seemed to be getting over his delusion that the Blanc in front of him was a fake. "Well, if you're all done with meaningless conversation, what say we get on with your inevitable demise?"

And, for the third time, a Killachine had made its presence known, towering over everyone present. Red sighed as he looked at the now familiar shape of the Killachine. "You know, your people in the design department could come up with something a little less... Generic, couldn't they?"

Ganache chuckled. "I'll be sure to file a complaint for you. But right now, I would appreciate it if you would all die." And with that, the Killachine lurched forward, its sights set on Red. "Let's see how well you all do against the latest Killachine model."

Red sighed again, and glanced back to Neptune and Vert. "If you two could hurry it up with the transformation, I would appreciate it." Suddenly, Red heard a loud thud, and blinked as his vision was blocked by scales. "Wait... Violet?" A low rumble was all the confirmation Red needed, before he grinned. "Well, this is definitely a step above of what I thought you would be doing."

And with that, the Killachine rocketed forward, rearing its axe back. Violet roared, and charged, meeting the Killachine halfway, delivering a flurry of claws. Red grinned as he teleported above the Killachine, his black aura flaring to life, and cocked his fist back, and let it fly, leaving only a dent in the metal of the Killachine. And then he felt the mace crash into him, knocking him into a wall, blood pouring out of his mouth as he crashed to the floor. Red growled, the black aura brightening to grey. Red got up, and yawned. He blinked once he saw Violet clashing her claws against the Killachine's axe. Red sighed, and teleported behind the Killachine and sent another punch, this time bursting through the metal, and probed around. He retracted his hand out, pulling out something that looked important. But then again, looks could be deceiving, judging from the way the Killachine seemed to be ignoring Red. _Fuck it, this is taking too long._ Red yawned again as he teleported to the Killachine's shoulder. He brought up a foot, prepared to stomp through the metal of the Killachine, before he noticed something quite bright. Red blinked before his eyes widened.

Noble was on one knee, a grin on his face, and his 'friendship' cannon hefted over his shoulder, the orb of energy about half the size of Neptune, and growing still. Red briefly wondered if the building would collapse from the damage from the blast. Then he realized he was still standing on the Killachine. His aura disappeared in an instant, and he teleported behind Noble, and yelled out. "Violet! Back to baby form! Now!" Violet growled, and in a flash of light, she had reverted to her chibi form. She then floated over to Red, and plopped herself into his arms. "Yeah, you can rest now." Then Red turned to Noble. "Don't miss, otherwise this place might come crashing down on top of us."

Noble's grin widened. "Don't worry, we got friendship on our side. And that _always_ works. Always." Then, with a laugh, Noble unleashed hell. The blast nearly blew Red back, and blinded him. Once Red was able to properly see again, he noticed that the Killachine was on the floor. At least, what was left of it. "See, told you. Friendship always works."

Red shook his head. "Noble, you are one crazy bastard. And I'm really glad about that fact right now."

The sound of chuckling brought Red's attention to Ganache, who looked at the remains of the Killachine with a small smile. "My, my, looks like this one wasn't enough..."

Red opened his mouth, but Noble beat him to it. "Friendship, bitch!"

Again, Ganache chuckled. "Quite. However, let me ask you something. It took you a while to charge up that shot, did it not?"

Red glared daggers at the man. "What are you getting at?"

Ganache smirked. "How much time do you think you'll have against more than one of them?"

Red's eyes widened. "Wait, what the fuck are you saying?!"

"Oh, let me show you. Killachines, come!"

In a matter of moments, more Killachines were in the party's view. Red looked at them all, fighting the urge to grin. "You... You honestly, think I can't take them all on?"

"Oh, I have no doubt that you can take care of them. But, can you keep your friends safe?"

Red glared, before he glanced behind him, and addressed everyone. "Alright, so that's your cue to get the fuck outta here. Otherwise I'm gonna have a hard time getting-" Before Red could finish the sentence, the Killachines began exploding one by one, filling Red's ears with a ringing sound.

Once the explosions, and ringing, stopped, Red heard a voice that sounded a bit familiar. "It seems I got here at the opportune moment."

Red blinked, turned toward the voice, and let out a quiet chuckle. "Well, you can say that again, MAGES.."


End file.
